1. science
2. medicine
3. medical research

 Teenagers and Music: Examining
the Role Music Plays in the
Development of Youth
By Stephen Joseph Zeni
A Thesis
Presented to
The University of Guelph
In partial fulfilment of requirements
for the degree of
Master of Science
in
Capacity Development and Extension
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
© Stephen Joseph Zeni, May, 2015
ABSTRACT
TEENAGERS AND MUSIC: EXAMINING THE ROLE MUSIC PLAYS IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH
Stephen Joseph Zeni
University of Guelph, 2015
Advisor:
Professor Al Lauzon
This thesis is an investigation of Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre’s Music Program. It provides a unique opportunity to elucidate the elements that promote
positive youth development. As a case study, qualitative analysis using semi-­‐
structured interviews, a validation focus group and participant observations were conducted to examine patterns. The data was analysed using a conceptual framework. Stories of the youth were told exploring themes: learning, positive youth development, the five ‘C’s, flow, meaning and identity, opportunity, staff challenges and creativity. The case study found varied evidence of youth development across these themes. This research explored youth’s identity exploration, creativity, flow experiences, learning and opportunities. Emerged patterns raised new questions in regards to previous research on Fusion, youth learning, rural music programs and positive youth development. ii
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my committee members Professor Al Lauzon, and Professor Jim
Mahone for their help, my girlfriend, Kelly Wasylciw, for all her patience and help
throughout the writing process.
Thank you to my family: Lindsay Johnson; Leah Simone; JP Zeni; David Zeni; Geoff
Zeni; Deb Zeni; Paul Zeni.
Thank you to my editor Bakhtawar Khan, and finally thanks to all those who helped and
provided advice while writing this thesis.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... vii List Symbols, Abbreviations or Nomenclature ............................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Background .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of Research Problem ....................................................................................................... 6 The Case Study .................................................................................................................................... 6 Research Goal ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Research Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 8 Significance of Study .......................................................................................................................... 9 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Case Study ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 The Location and Participants ................................................................................................................... 10 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Data analysis .................................................................................................................................................... 12 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 2: Review of Relevant Literature ........................................................................ 14 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 14 A Contemporary Conceptualization of Youth ........................................................................... 14 The Problems Youth Face Today ............................................................................................................. 16 Living in an increasingly complex world ............................................................................................... 16 Living as a marginalized group ................................................................................................................. 17 Youth driven programming as a solution to marginalization .......................................................... 18 Barriers to sustainable youth driven programming ............................................................................. 18 The Challenges that Youth Face in Rural Areas ....................................................................... 19 A Summary of the theories of learning surrounding youth and children ........................... 22 A Brief History of the Learning Theories of the 20th century ......................................................... 22 A Comprehensive Theory of Learning and Defining Experiential Learning ............................. 25 How do youth learn? ..................................................................................................................................... 26 The Theory of Positive Youth Development .............................................................................. 27 The Benefits of Afterschool Programs on Youth ...................................................................... 32 The impact of music and arts-based programs on teenagers ................................................. 35 The concept of creativity as an essential component of positive development of youth ... 37 How musicians experience “flow” during performance .......................................................... 39 Conceptual Framework .................................................................................................................. 41 Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 42 Chapter 3: Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre .......................................... 44 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 44 The Impact of Fusion on the youth of Ingersoll ........................................................................ 44 iv
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The Music Program ......................................................................................................................... 45 Other Impacts of Fusion ................................................................................................................. 47 Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 48 Chapter 4: Methodology ....................................................................................................... 49 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 49 Qualitative Inquiry .......................................................................................................................... 49 Using Case Studies as a Research Methodology ........................................................................ 50 The Case Study: Fusion’s Music Program ................................................................................. 51 Data Collection Procedures ............................................................................................................ 53 Participant Observation ................................................................................................................................ 53 In Depth Semi-Structured Interviews ...................................................................................................... 58 Validation Focus Group ............................................................................................................................... 60 Analysis ............................................................................................................................................... 61 Limitations of the research ............................................................................................................ 63 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................................... 64 The Methodological Challenges of Studying Youth .......................................................................... 65 Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 67 Chapter 5: Findings ............................................................................................................... 68 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 68 Challenges of the Staff ..................................................................................................................... 68 The Culture of the Fusion Music Program ................................................................................ 76 Opportunity ....................................................................................................................................... 79 Learning How to Play and Sing ‘Popular’ Music ............................................................................... 79 Recording and Production ........................................................................................................................... 81 Opportunity to Socialize .............................................................................................................................. 83 Meaning and Identity ...................................................................................................................... 84 Meaning in their daily lives ........................................................................................................................ 84 Identity Exploration ....................................................................................................................................... 86 Exploring the Future ..................................................................................................................................... 89 Finding meaning in relationships .............................................................................................................. 90 Learning ............................................................................................................................................. 91 Methods and structures of learning used at Fusion’s Music Program .......................................... 92 Relationships ................................................................................................................................................... 98 Barriers to learning ...................................................................................................................................... 100 Evidence of Positive Youth Development at Fusion’s Music Program .............................. 102 Competence .................................................................................................................................................... 102 Confidence ...................................................................................................................................................... 107 Connection ...................................................................................................................................................... 109 Character ......................................................................................................................................................... 114 Caring ............................................................................................................................................................... 117 Contribution ................................................................................................................................................... 120 Creativity ......................................................................................................................................... 123 Exploration of Music as a Form of Creative Practice ...................................................................... 123 Taking Risks and Creativity ..................................................................................................................... 129 The Role Expression and Aesthetic in the Development of Creativity ...................................... 131 The youth’s experiences of flow during musical activities at Fusion .................................. 132 The Manifestation of flow states in the individuals at Fusion’s Music Program ................... 133 Barriers to Flow State for the Participants ........................................................................................... 134 The Impact of Flow States on the youth in Fusion Music Program ............................................ 135 v
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Summary .......................................................................................................................................... 136 Chapter 6: Discussion .......................................................................................................... 138 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 138 Fusion’s Music Programs role in the youth’s development of the Six ‘C’s within Positive
Youth Development Theory ......................................................................................................... 138 Creativity: An Argument for its inclusion Into 5/6 C model ................................................ 148 Enhancing 6 ‘C’ development through practice of creative processes ....................................... 149 Creativity Developing Assets out-side those in the Five ‘C’ model ........................................... 152 Music and Arts Based Programs Impact on Rural Youth .................................................... 153 A Music program encouraging Identity exploration and Meaningful Livelihoods ............... 153 Relationships and the Role of Social Atmosphere Music Based Programs ............................. 155 Music Based Programming: An Opportunity for Flow Experiences .......................................... 156 Challenges for After-School Programs in Rural Areas ......................................................... 157 Fusion’s Music Program informs current literature on learning of youths in rural areas
............................................................................................................................................................ 158 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 160 Recommendations for Further Research .................................................................................. 161 Recommendations for Fusion’s Music Program ..................................................................... 166 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 168 vi
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List of Figures
Figure 1: A conceptual framework of a case study of Fusion’s Music Program
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List Symbols, Abbreviations or
Nomenclature
Fusion: Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Background
Life as a teenager in the western world is difficult as it demands managing
expectations of adults while discovering one’s self (Erikson, 1968). This challenge is
made harder for youth when the training and learning structures available no longer
provide adequate scaffolding for teenagers to make a transition into adulthood (Corbett,
2013). Secondary education systems are highly constrained by curriculum and put the
onus on teachers to provide mentorship while requiring them to teach content dense
courses (L. Johnson, Zeni, Tanel, K. Johnson, & Tanel, 2013). In addition, currently
North American elementary and secondary schools have student class sizes ranging from
the mid-twenties to the low thirties (Zahoric, 1999). In the larger classrooms it may be
difficult for teachers to adapt and accommodate to the learning and developmental needs
of the students leading to a generalized instruction leaving the students with learning
difficulties behind (Zahoric, 1999). During after-school hours’ teenagers may be left on
their own as parents work days are longer than the school day (Christie, 2012; Durlak,
Mahoney, Bohnert, & Parente, 2010; Halpern, 1999). This time creates a gap where both
adult supervision and mentoring are missing for many youth. When parents arrive home,
teens may seem to be living in a different world from them because of changes in social
norms due to rapidly changing communication technologies (Stafford & Hillyer, 2012;
Kaare, Brandtzaeg, Heim, & Endestad, 2007). The changes in social engagement due to
the development of Internet and communication technologies have created further gaps in
experience between parents and youth causing greater challenges for youth (Stafford &
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Hillyer, 2012; Kaare et al., 2007). Given this current lack of mentoring for youth, it is
important to build new structures that will enable teenagers to successfully make the
difficult transition from childhood to young adulthood.
Rural youth face a different set of challenges than youth located in urban areas. A
general lack of services for youth located in rural areas in comparison to urban population
lays additional stresses on teenagers in rural areas. Increasingly, small-town youth
finding a place to be themselves may become exceedingly difficult (Christie, 2012). Lack
of affordable public services, such as public transit, make it difficult for youth to travel to
and from friends’ homes and local hangouts (Leyshon, 2008). A lack of available space
to hangout may cause disputes to form when bored or uninvolved teenagers hangout on
street corners or outside the shops downtown (Christie, 2012). Many youth feel that
taunts and dares that lead to misbehaviour by a few reflects poorly on the rest (Christie,
2012). As the disputes between adults and teenagers become larger this stigma becomes
prevalent as storeowners see the youth as troublemakers (Christie, 2012; Leyshon, 2008).
The lack of activities and available safe havens for youth in rural areas leads to
destructive behaviour, such as drug-use and unprotected sex, occurring as bored youth
become antsy (Witherspoon & Ennett, 2011; Akers, Melvin, Corbie-Smith, 2011; Carson,
Iannotti, Pickett, Janssen, 2011). Given the challenges the rural youth face it is important
to develop systems that will help them find ways to thrive in an ever changing world.
In order to combat these challenges both governments and non-governmental
organizations offer a variety of after-school programming (Halpern, 1999). Funding,
availability of trained staff and lack of resources restricts many after-school programs and
is responsible for some of the variation seen amongst these programs (Halpern, 1999;
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Durlak et al., 2010). However local community voices are the main driving force behind
after-school programs, leading to local variation amongst the programs (Halpern, 1999;
Durlak et al., 2010). Specifically, many programs are funded on the basis of offering
prevention of anti-social behaviour by: removing youth from the streets, providing
academic help, tutoring and a monitored place with provisions to do homework.
Conversely, other jurisdictions have started creating programming that are youth driven
and directed towards providing developmental benefits to the youth (Durlak et al., 2010;
Halpern, 1999) as recent studies have shown that youth driven programming help
promote development of the skills and assets that teenagers need to thrive (Khan, 2012).
By providing an engaging environment through provision of youth driven programming,
after-school programs can have developmental benefits. They can do this through
capacity building and provision of local learning and communication structures that
reinforces positive community values and individual wellbeing, in four ways: 1) by
providing physical space for preventive care; 2) through specific programming that
develops skills in the youth; 3) by offering a place to be included without judgment
through the provision of an enclave where stigma from adults and friends is intentionally
minimized; and 4) by creating a space that nurtures the building of healthy relationships
between teens and their friends, staff and mentors (Christie, 2012).
Many after-school programs for youth have incorporated in part or in whole the
concepts put forth by various models proposed for positive youth development (PYD).
The most commonly accepted model of PYD predicts that when youth systematically
accumulate developmental assets, they become more resilient and ultimately develop the
capacity to thrive (Benson, 2006; Benson, Scales, Hamilton, & Semsa, 2007). Bowers,
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Li, Kiely, Brittian, J. V. Lerner and R. M. Lerner (2010) states that the assets fit into five
categories known as the five C’s:
1) Competence: A positive view of one’s actions in the domain specific areas including
social, academic, cognitive and vocational.
2) Confidence: An internal sense of overall positive self-worth and self-efficacy; one’s
global self-regard, as opposed to domain specific beliefs
3) Connection: Positive bonds with people and institutions that are reflected in
bidirectional exchanges between the individual and peers, family, school, and community
in which both parties contribute to the relationship
4) Character: Respect for societal and cultural rules, possession of standards for correct
behaviour, a sense of right and wrong (morality), and integrity
5) Caring: A sense of sympathy and empathy for others
Lerner et al. (2005) expanded on Bowers’ model to add a sixth ‘C’ - Contribution, which
deals with both the plasticity of youth, and the specific dynamic of two-way relationships
youth have with their external environments. Lerner et al. (2005) also postulates that as
youth accumulate the six ‘C’s they learn to contribute in a positive way to their families
and communities.
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It is my contention that a seventh ‘C’, creativity, the ability to innovate while in a
state of play or under stress, is an essential asset for positive youth development as it is
necessary for the building of assets in all the other categories, especially confidence and
character. For individuals the process and product of creation are important. The product
of an individual’s creativity results in fulfillment and delight as the person experiences
gratification (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991/2008). These feelings ultimately lead to an increase
in self-confidence and help build other essential assets (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). The
creativity is valued as an asset in the workforce as it ultimately leads to innovation, often
creating greater efficiencies in the workplace. A more efficient workforce creates more
profit for companies enabling them to grow and create more jobs (Rittenberg &
Tregarthen, 2009). Creativity therefore enables youth to thrive on a personal level and in
their future careers.
The process of creating something is fundamental when considering creativity as
an asset. An important part of building both creativity and competence is the concept of
‘flow experiences’. As proposed by the psychologist and proponent of positive youth
development, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1991/2008), flow is an experience whereby a
person, while performing an activity, enters a mental state of full emersion concomitant
with a high degree of focus, awareness and enjoyment. The heightened awareness,
enjoyment, energy and focus achieved while in the state of flow, in theory, creates
avenues for enhancing the creative process, identity building and the creation of meaning
(Csikszentmihalyi, 2008; Sansom, 2007; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
Community arts projects have been used around the world not only to support the
arts but also to create strong community connections and nurture creativity (Bolden,
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Heble, Thorne, & Troop, 2013). They offer benefits to participants and their
communities such as: creating personal, social, economic and educational change;
promoting cultural awareness and community engagement; building collective and
personal identity; creating solidarity and establishing participants’ confidence in their
artistic potential thanks to the mentoring provided by expert artists and musicians.
(Newman, Curtis, & Stephens, 2003; Jones, 1988; Lowe, 2000; Lowe, 2001; Bolden et
al., 2013).
Statement of Research Problem
For teenagers, the ability to enjoy life and develop their identity is an important
step in successfully dealing with the challenges youth face as they transition into
adulthood. After-school music programs provide an avenue for personal change by
offering youth the opportunity to take risks and explore their identities. Current research
into after-school music programs is predominately focused on urban areas in both
developed countries and the developing world. Given that youth in small towns face
different challenges from those in urban areas, more research is needed that focuses
specifically on the effects that youth driven music programs in small towns have on
positive youth development. The Fusion Activity and Technology Centre’s music
program provides a unique opportunity to study this topic as a case study and elucidate
the elements that promote positive youth development.
The Case Study
The proposed case study is The Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre
(Fusion) in Ingersoll, Ontario. Located in South Western Ontario, the town is roughly a
fifteen-minute drive to London on highway 401. Ingersoll is classified as a small town
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with an estimated population of 12,150. Ingersoll’s economic base is in manufacturing,
processing and agriculture. Sales, services, trades and transport arise to support the
community and the manufacturing sectors (Town of Ingersoll, 2008; Statistics Canada,
2007). Of the 12,150 living in Ingersoll approximately 1,600 are between the ages of ten
and nineteen. There is currently one private school, one secondary school and three
elementary schools for youth to attend. Excluding school-based programming, activities
available to the youth in Ingersoll and the surrounding rural area include: minor hockey,
soccer, baseball, private music lessons and figure skating. The facilities available to
youth include an ice rink, a community centre, four baseball diamonds, an indoor
swimming pool, two tennis courts, a curling rink, a creative arts centre, a lawn bowling
facility, six community parks and a golf course (Town of Ingersoll, 2008).
In 2006, through municipal funding, an after school program, known as The
Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre (Fusion), was created in Ingersoll Ontario.
The youth of Ingersoll face many problems, which include: 1) drugs (specifically
marijuana, oxycodone and methyl-amphetamines), 2) teen pregnancy and; 3) local stigma
against the youth population as hooligans (Christie, 2012; Khan, 2012; Stats Canada,
2007). By offering affordable programming and ‘hang out’ space for the youth of
Ingersoll on a ‘drop-in’ basis, Fusion helps address the social problems while achieving
developmental benefits for the youth (Christie, 2012; Khan, 2012). The programs include
a skate park for skate-boarders, a cooking program, a fine arts studio, a computer lab, a
radio production suite, an entrepreneur program, a fully equipped music studio and an
equipped gymnasium to name some. Of particular interest to my research is the Music
Program at Fusion. With access to a youth driven professional music studio and music
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training located at Fusion, the youth have the opportunity to enjoy a unique musical
experience that nurtures their sense of identity and builds upon the assets needed for
youth to succeed as adults. They can enjoy the music creation through improvisation,
composition, recording, music production and performance while building relationships
with friends and mentors and taking new risks. It also offers an opportunity for youth to
enter a ‘flow’ mental state through musical performance and production thus enhancing
their experience of contribution and nurturing their creativity.
Research Goal
The goal of this research is to identify the impact upon youth as a result of their
participation in Fusion’s music program and elucidate the elements that contribute to
these outcomes.
Research Objectives
1) To identify if participation in Fusion’s music program fosters competence, confidence,
connection, character, caring and creativity in the youth.
2) To identity the extent in which the youth in Fusion’s music program build both their
personal sense of identity and meaning in their lives.
3) To explore the youth’s ‘flow’ experiences during their participation in Fusion’s music
program.
4) To identify the extent in which the current pedagogical approaches, used by the current
and past coordinators of the Fusion youth music program and the participants, are aiding
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the development of the youth and staff members.
Significance of Study
By looking at music making programs as a support system for transitioning youth,
this research contributes valuable information and reinforces concepts in the fields of
psychology, education, capacity development, and music. This research contributes to the
field of psychology by examining the role music plays as a vessel for meaning creation,
identity building and positive youth development. Areas such as the efficacy of after
school music programs and their ability to engage students in new types of learning are
highlighted in this study. These areas have not been previously explored in-depth,
including different types of learning that foster creativity in youth during their time in
after-school programs. The addition of creativity as a core asset in positive youth
development theory is significant as it enables educators, social workers and program
directors to find new avenues to help youth thrive. This research adds valuable scope to
musical pedagogy by stressing the development of positive character traits and the
acquisition of assets necessary for the successful transition of youth to adulthood. The
proposed research identifies critical components of music programs that foster the assets
essential to development of youth. The research intends to develop questions and
recommendations with regards to the development of youth in music programs in an
effort to build understanding and knowledge of the processes involved in social change
and development of youth in rural Ontario.
Methodology
Case Study
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The research was a case study of Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre
music program. Using case studies, researchers searched for new information,
knowledge, and understandings so as to build theories explaining specific phenomena
(Flyvbjerg, 2011). There were numerous strengths to using case studies as a research
method including: obtaining a depth of data not available through survey based research,
the ability to create specific recommendations based on the data obtained and the
methods used to obtain the data (Flyvbjerg, 2011). This is particularly true for research
on programs such as Fusion and similar after-school programs directed at positive youth
development. The major limitation of case studies is developing generalizations based on
the data as it is intrinsically related to the specific nature of the cases studied and the
methodology used to gather the data. Specifically, the researcher, instead of being an
observer outside of the system being studied, becomes part of the study (Flyvbjerg,
2011). Using a case study the proposed research intends to explore, explain and analyze
the role music plays in youth development through participation in the Fusion musicmaking program.
The Location and Participants
The study took place at Fusion’s music studio located in Ingersoll, Ontario. As a
small, rural town it provides a unique opportunity to research the relationship between
music creativity and social practice in a rural setting. The participants of the study were
youth between the ages of twelve and eighteen years. The program’s coordinators,
Fusion’s director and past participants took part in the study.
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Data Collection
Data was collected from the following three sources: observation, interviews and
validation focus groups. This array of collection methods created triangulated results,
thereby creating greater validity (Hambly, 2012). A small number of intense interviews
were used in this case study to increase depth of data. (Flyvbjerg, 2011).
1. Participant Observations.
Direct observations of the Fusions music program for two weeks were made in
February and March of 2014. Field notes were taken during this time. After the initial
observations, the researcher was integrated into the ‘performances’ as a participant, in
order to build a deeper understanding of the experiences of the youth during music
playing, composing, and recording. The researcher reflected on the ‘performances’ and
conversations in the form of observatory journal. The integration took place during the
months of March and April 2014.
2. Interviews.
Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted in February of 2014. Nine
youth participants were interviewed. Participation was determined to be more than 6
months to qualify the youth for an interview as the questions are with regard to the
programs impact on their development. The primary purpose of the interviews was to
elicit participants’ perspectives on the outcomes, experiences, and structures that shape
their participation at Fusion’s Music Program. Three semi-structured interviews with the
past and present program staff members were conducted to build on the information
provided by the participants, provide different perspectives on the effectiveness of the
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program, and to further explore the experiences of the youth. All the interviews were 2065 minutes in length, and were conducted in person or by Skype. All interviews were
held on a volunteer basis. All the participants involved in the Fusion music program were
offered the opportunity to be interviewed and participate in the research project provided
they had been engaged in the program for a minimum of 6 months.
3. Validation Focus Group
One 45-minute focus group discussion was conducted with six participants in
May 2014. The small group discussion was intended verify the findings in the interviews.
As anticipated the discussion group format enabled participants to reflect, respond to and
build on their peers’ ideas. The discussion also yielded data that is not accessed via the
interviews. The participants reflected upon on their participation in the study during focus
groups and further explored the research questions.
Data analysis
A qualitative analysis was conducted by coding and sorting the data collected
through observations, field notes, interview transcripts, small group discussion transcripts
and video elicitation (IPR), according to topics, themes, and issues important to the study
(Stake, 2010). The assets framework with the addition of the concepts of creativity, flow
and experiential learning was used as a conceptual framework, which informed the
original themes during data analysis. The field notes and transcripts were read closely and
repeatedly to identify emergent themes. Other themes were derived from the research
questions and relevant literature. Additional themes emerged during data analysis (Miles
& Huberman, 1994). Placing coloured stickers on the wall; notating the key words, time
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of interview and the alphanumeric code on the sticker; and sorting the key words into
themes by the colour of the sticker was used to code the data.
Ethical Considerations
In order to initiate research with human subjects the University of Guelph’s
Research Ethics Board required the researcher to consider the ethical ramifications of the
intended research. The current research accounted for ethical issues concerning consent,
confidentiality and anonymity and adverse effects to personal well being of the
participants. Given the negligible risk to the minor, participant consent was obtained
when necessary from the minor but not from their guardians. A form indicating that the
confidentiality of participants in this study was presented will be written. Given the small
size of the program a guarantee of anonymity was not be possible. In understanding that
interview questions may ask about high-risk behaviour confidentiality was guaranteed as
so far it does not involve endangering another member of the community. To minimize
adverse consequences of the study on participants and staff, the researchers respected the
autonomy and dignity of all participants and planned an exit strategy that hopefully
minimized the sense of loss experienced by the youth.
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Chapter 2: Review of Relevant Literature
Introduction
The following is a review of the current literature describing the concepts and
studies that aid our understanding of the effect music programs have in the daily lives of
rural teenagers. A discussion of these subjects follows:
1) A contemporary conceptualization of youth
2) The challenges that youth are facing in rural areas
3) A description of learning theories relevant to youth and children
4) The theory of positive youth development
5) The impact of after-school programs on youth
6) The effect of music and arts based programs on teenagers
7) The concept of creativity imagined as an asset that aids the development of youth
8) A description of peoples’ experiences of flow during musical composing, music
performance and listening to music
A Contemporary Conceptualization of Youth
The conceptualization of youth as a social construct has changed over the years
(Lauzon, 2013). Throughout the 20th century, youth have been viewed as troublesome,
either as a group of people who pose a problem for society or as a group of
uncontrollable people bound to take undue risks (Dehi, 2003; Lauzon, 2013). Starting in
the 1990s scholars found that the risk seeking behaviour that youth generally portray
could be focused with passion, by providing engaging activities in the areas of sports and
leisure, arts, and science (Dehi, 2003; Schmon, 2013; Lauzon, 2013). The change in
attitude ultimately led to research in youth development from a perspective of learning
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and engagement instead of one of prevention of harmful behaviours (Lauzon, 2013;
Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
The age at which people are considered youth has changed over time as well.
Today, persons aged 12-18 are generally categorized as youth. This categorization may
no longer be precise in North American society but it has sustained in recent literature
because it allows researchers to more easily conduct research on this age group, given
that all teenagers between the ages 12-18 are still attending school (Cross, 2013). In
some of the literature, it has been argued that the categorization of youth should
encompass people up to the age of 25, as it now usually coincides with the departure of
the person from their parent’s home (Bynner, 2005). It as also been observed that youth
are entering the workforce on a more permanent basis later in life. Therefore, the entry
into early adulthood has been delayed to approximately 25 years of age (Bynner, 2005;
Cross, 2012). Entry into the classification of youth generally coincides with puberty at 12
years of age. However, it has been shown that with the early onset of sexual identity
occurring before the age of 12 suggests a shrinking of the childhood term (Khan, 2012).
An expansion of the age limits of youth from 12-18 to 12-25 has been observed in recent
literature (Kahn, 2012). However, the Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre
limits the age of youth members from 12- 18 years. Therefore, classical age limits of 1218 were maintained for this study.
Adolescence is considered as a time of transition from childhood to adult-hood
(Illeris, 2007). During this time, youth move from a dependent life to a life of relative
independence. Through this transition to independence, youth are given increasing
responsibilities that generally result in youth becoming a contributing member of society.
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Therefore, during the period of adolescence, youth engage in a high degree of learning
and exploration. Erik Erikson (1968), in knowledge of the developmental challenges
facing youth, theorized that youth explore many different identities. He named this stage
an ‘identity crisis’ or ‘Identity vs. Role Confusion’, which consists of youth testing
several different types of adult roles to evaluate which of them best fit their personality
and skills (Erikson, 1968). Youth stress the importance of building their relationships
with their peers. During early adolescence, inclusion with peers is of utmost importance
in the daily lives of youth (Christie, 2012). In later years, youth examine their future
career possibilities by testing the job market to evaluate where their specific set of skills
can be best put to use (Cross, 2012). Generally, the youth stage of development is
characterized by youth exploring their potential role in society and discovering who they
are as people (Erikson, 1968).
The Problems Youth Face Today
Living in an increasingly complex world
While building a sense of belonging and constructing a set of moral rules, young
people live exceedingly complex lives (Smith et al., 2002). The complexity of their lives
is exacerbated by the increased rate of change in society through ever- changing
communications technology and social networking (Corbett, 2013; Lauzon, 2013). By
constructing their own meaning and reflecting on their experiences, youth learn to adapt
in an ever-changing environment (Smith et al., 2002, Corbett, 2013). Through this
learning process, the construction of multiple positions, social relations, ethics, politics
and kinship of their own accord creates a diversity of identities and feelings in youth
(Khan, 2012). Therefore when examining youth it will be important to account for a wide
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range of motivations, thoughts and feelings to properly describe the life of a particular
subset of youth.
Living as a marginalized group
It is essential to note that youth are marginalized when their voiced opinions are
not heard in the political or educational arenas. This is especially true when youth express
their feelings to adults with decision-making power yet their opinions are ignored. Youth
lack decision-making power in regards to many issues in their daily lives including:
curriculum content and the number of hours spent at school. Adults will regularly and
typically attempt to use “One Size Fits All” type of solutions for problems concerning
youth (Khan, 2012). Youth who are greatly affected by this approach become angry,
disengaged and often rebellious as they now consider parts of their lives irrelevant or
needlessly stressful (Khan, 2012; Smith, et al. 2012).
Today, educational systems in the western world lack relevancy for youth in
modern society further emphasizing the need for youth driven programs (Robinson,
2011). Perceived relevancy of the content of learning often leads to a passion for an
activity as internal motivation is triggered (Hennessey & Amabile, 2010, Bahi, 2003).
However, an activity that is perceived to be irrelevant provides no such motivation. In
these cases, external motivators and expectations are applied from teachers and parents in
the form of rewards and punishments. Rewards generally provide short-term gains for
youth but these gains do not provide sustainable solutions as internal motivation is still
lacking. Punishments are fear-based in nature and they tend to prevent creative behaviour
as they associate risk with creativity as opposed to benefits (Hennessey & Amabile,
2010). Fear has additional downsides. For instance, fear is one of the greatest contributors
17
to stress in our daily life and it leads to subdued performance in daily tasks. Rebellious
behaviour is another result of external motivators, as punishments may be perceived as
unjust or unwarranted. The problems attributed to policy decisions regarding education
may leave lasting impacts regarding future employment for youth in today’s society as
disengaged learners will have difficulty finding a fulfilling career due to lack of skill and
a propensity to be lazy (Carson et al., 2011). Given this, it can be argued that a failure of
western educational systems has occurred. The systems are inadequate at finding
solutions for youth in an increasing complex society. As such, youth-driven programming
is needed (Robinson, 2011, Gore, 2007).
Youth driven programming as a solution to marginalization
Creating programming that engages youth in political and educational arenas will
be challenging. Youth programming has become an essential part of creating a more
inclusive society in which the youth feel they do not need to shy away from voicing their
opinions, but can freely speak their minds. Creating opportunities for teenagers to learn,
change, plan, and make decisions has begun in the form of youth membership at school
boards, community committees and youth driven after-school programs (Khan, 2012;
Gray, 2001; Jench, 2005; Taylor & Gooby, 1998). These programs encourage ownership
and a sense of belonging in youth, helping create life-long learners that are needed to
adapt to today’s changing society (Lauzon, 2013).
Barriers to sustainable youth driven programming
Building sustainability in youth driven programs will be challenging. There are
major barriers to overcome in order to achieve integration of youth into the adult world.
Three barriers will be discussed here, including: adult’s stigma of youth; youth workers
18
who value traditional practices; and limited resources invested in youth (Khan, 2012).
First, youth are often stigmatized by adults as troublesome and rebellious (Shucksmith,
2004; Meek, 2008; Smith el al., 2002). This often prevents adequate communication
between decision-makers and youth as a lack of respect for youth’s opinions and feelings,
which results in decision-makers ignoring youth and their feelings or opinions. It allows
prioritizing the concerns’ of adults over those of youth (Restuccia & Brundy, 2003;
Khan, 2012). Second, traditional youth practitioners prevent youth engagement by
promoting top-down solution-based programs often associated with specific problems
such as drug abuse. These programs are often formulated with little youth involvement
and pull resources from youth-driven programs. Finally, limited resources can hamper
youth-driven programming initiatives, as qualified youth practitioners and funding are
difficult to procure (Restuccia & Brundy, 2003; Khan, 2012).
The Challenges that Youth Face in Rural Areas
Youth who live in small towns in North America face specific challenges due to
their social and economic limitations. These challenges manifest in four major ways: a
lack of social activities that are affordable; stigma of the youth by the adults of the
community; alcohol and drug use; and a lack of viable youth employment (Khan, 2012;
TORC, 2007; Panelli, Nairn, & McCormack, 2002; Katz, 1998; Shucksmith, 2004; Meek,
2008; Smith et al., 2008). As these challenges are highly interconnected, it is difficult to
approach the difficulties youth face in rural areas separately. However, in order to fully
understand the issues, an explanation of each challenge is provided in this section.
In many small towns, there are few local meeting places and even fewer extracurricular activities. For many communities extra-curricular activities tend to be provided
19
by the school in the form of sports, music and drama programs (Khan, 2012). However,
school-run activities tend to be organized and are provided by the teachers and the
curriculum. These activities are, for the most part, driven and derived by teachers
(Johnson et al., 2012). These activities result in a lack of engagement from a segment of
the youth who prefer self directed activities (Khan, 2012, Smith et al., 2002, Carson et al.,
2011, Christie, 2012). In addition, organized sports, dance and music lessons can be very
expensive. Therefore, only youth whose parents earn high income can afford to send their
children to organized lessons. Furthermore, large sporting facilities are often difficult to
access because of their distance from rural areas, high membership fees, and inadequate
public transportation (TORC, 2007). For youth in rural areas, a lack of public space to
hangout compounds the issue. Retailers are understandably concerned about youth
loitering at the stores in small towns as it prevents access to the storefronts, and dissuades
customers to enter the stores. Thus, students who opt out of school-based activities tend
to be left to fend for themselves, commonly resulting in tension between youth and adult
populations living in small towns.
Tension between youth and the adults in the community often leads to
stigmatising of youth as troublemakers; a few youths’ unlawful behaviour taints adult
perceptions of all the youth in the community (Shucksmith, 2004; Meek, 2008; Smith el
al., 2002; Christie, 2012; Khan, 2012). Youth also tend to travel in large groups blocking
store entryways when talking and on occasion fighting (Shucksmith, 2004; Meek, 2008;
Smith el al., 2002). In a study performed by Christie (2012), stories were told of youth’s
interactions with adults and the injustice the youth felt when the storeowners held an
entire group responsible for an individual’s crime. For example, a youth told this story:
20
while in a group, one youth vandalized a storefront, thereby causing all the youth in the
group to “get into trouble” (Christie, 2012). Youth who understood that one person could
often ruin the reputation of the group were upset at the injustice of living with
consequences of an act they did not commit (Christie, 2012).
Alcohol abuse and drug use is a common problem amongst youth in rural areas
(Katz, 1998). For example, Oxford County has had numerous reports of illicit drug use
notably methyl amphetamines more commonly known as crystal meth and oxycodone
(Sun News Media, 2010; CBC, 2012). Failure to mitigate high-risk behaviour can be
expensive both socially and economically as a lack of amenities for youth in rural areas
was linked to increased drug use in a study conducted by Katz in 1998.
In rural areas, amenities for recreation should be relevant and engaging to youth
(Panelli et al., 2002; TORC, 2007; Khan, 2012). In order to achieve this, rural
communities must provide facilities for the activities that the youth have interest in
performing and are affordable, such as skate parks, cinemas, clubs and sporting facilities.
The provision of these facilities benefits youth by providing an escape from drugs and
alcohol. In addition, these facilities can provide an atmosphere in which youth can learn
new skills, build confidence and create positive relationships. A youth windsurfing centre
(Bonaire Aqua-speed windsurfing club) on the island of Bonaire is an example of the
benefits a sporting facility can have on youth even with little to no resources to run a
performance-oriented youth training centre (Schmon, 2013). In the early 1990s a local
fisherman and windsurfer Elvis Martinus introduced windsurfing to two brothers Elton
“Taty” and Everon “Tonky” Frans. Given the brothers enthusiasm for the sport Elvis
Martinus started a youth windsurfing centre in order to teach the brothers and
21
surrounding youth how to windsurf. Given that the Frans brothers and local youth were
the sons of fisherman and of low economic status, the centre provided lessons,
equipment, and transportation free of charge. Through windsurfing, these youth escaped
drugs and local gangs and were able to gain confidence, create positive relationships with
fellow youth windsurfers and build the necessary skills to become professional
windsurfers. The Frans brothers and the youth participants at Bonaire Aqua-speed
windsurfing club went on to become world-class professional windsurfers and transform
the sport of windsurfing with their creativity by inventing many of the new freestyle
moves now standard in windsurfing competitions (Schmon, 2013). As the case of Bonaire
demonstrates, accessible and relevant recreational facilities have the potential to
transform the lives of youth.
Out-migration of youth in rural communities is a major issue in Ontario (TORC,
2007). In order for youth to stay committed and connected to their community, youth
need to value family and friends. In addition, youth need to be comfortable and content in
their community (Jamieson, 2000; Khan, 2012). Building connections with family,
friends and institutions is difficult for youth. Some of the reasons for this include higher
education, which tends to be located in major urban centers; a lack of variable and
engaging career choices in local communities; and, youth becoming ‘claustrophobic’ of
the small town atmosphere leading to an urge to travel and experience new cultures
(TORC, 2007; Khan, 2012; Lad, 2000).
A Summary of the theories of learning surrounding youth and children
A Brief History of the Learning Theories of the 20th century
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During the early 20th century three contemporaries - John Dewey, Jean Piaget and
Maria Montessori - changed the landscape of learning theories by describing how we
learn from our environment and experience. These structures include a theory of learning
that articulated experience and reflection as essential parts of the learning process, a
testable hypothesis on the way the mind develops as a child, and the addition of guided
self-discovery as a method of teaching (Illeris, 2007; Montessori, 1967; Piaget, 1958;
Dewey, 1934). These theories and practices ensure sustained engagement in learning by
providing meaningful youth-driven structures and curriculum.
John Dewey described a model of learning through experience in 1938. He
described learning as cyclical, where humans learn from interacting with one’s
environment, in the following order: an action or impulse, an observation of the
consequences, the acquisition of knowledge, judgment based upon both the past and
along with prediction of the future, and a better informed action. The cycle is repeated
until a purposeful action is established through the dynamic interactions between
observation, knowledge and action (Dewey, 1938). Dewey believed that the problem for
educators lay in the delay between the observation and the judgment, as ‘the idea of
consequences’ must meld with impulse in order to create a movement necessary for
purposeful action (Dewey, 1938). Dewey argued that learning occurs by reflecting on
past, present and possible future consequences of action (Kolb, 1984). In his theory, two
concepts are stressed: interaction with the environment and importance of the experience
to have consequences (Illeris, 2007; Dewey, 1938). Many contemporary scholars
consider this theory to be the basis for later theories of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984;
Illeris, 2007).
23
Even though Jean Piaget’s research was strictly with children, his investigations
in cognitive development validated Dewey’s process of learning as well as reinforced the
need for self-directed learning and self-discovery when developing one’s mind (Piaget,
1958). Piaget (1959) theorized that cognitive development is a process based on
adaptation to the surrounding environment of the individual (Wadsworth, 2004; Piaget,
1959). For Piaget, this adaption to the surrounding environment by children is a form of
cognitive learning and occurred in five stages: assimilation, equilibrium, disequilibrium,
accommodation, and re-assimilation (Wadsworth, 2004; Piaget, 1959).
It should be noted that Piaget’s work has been criticized because it disregards the
influence of culture and social context on learning (Burner 1966; Vygotsky, 1978; Open
University, 1997). Bruner (1966) and Vygotsky (1978) stress the need for social
interaction, tutelage, and scaffolding to guide children through their learning. They are
concerned with how social interaction can influence a person, especially a youth’s
learning. In the rapidly changing modern age, where these structures no longer exist for
the vast majority of knowledge available, individuals must prioritize their learning and
learn how to learn in order to adapt to the new social and cultural influences (Illeris,
2007).
During her time at an orphanage, Maria Montessori discovered how children learn
from their environment (Montessori, 1967). Montessori (1967) observed how children,
by being curious about their surroundings, asked questions relevant to their daily lives
and future. She also observed children using materials to facilitate their learning. Armed
with this knowledge, Maria Montessori created a schooling system that is centered
around self-directed learning and the use of materials that enable children to learn by
24
engaging with their environment in both a productive and relevant manner (Montessori,
1967). By understanding learning as a process in which the learner builds a relationship
with their surroundings, Montessori’s theories and practices have enabled educators to
adapt the environment to support the learner (Montessori, 1967).
A Comprehensive Theory of Learning and Defining Experiential Learning
David Kolb (1984), while synthesizing the works of Dewey (1938) and Piaget
(1959), defined experiential learning as the process in which “we create knowledge
through the transformation of experience” (p. 38). Kolb stressed that learning is a
process in which people or organizations interact with their environment and is not
merely an outcome (Kolb, 1984). In believing that this definition is too broad, Illeris
(2007) created a definition of experiential learning that differentiates experiential learning
from other forms of learning. Illeris (2007) defines experiential learning as:
Learning in which the learning dimensions of content, incentive [motivation], and
interaction [social and environmental influences] are involved in a subjectively
balanced and substantial way.
In 2003, Illeris also articulated a more comprehensive theory of learning, which
includes cognitive, social and emotional dimensions. In his book, Illeris describes four
different types of cognitive leaning: cumulative, assimilative, accommodative, and
transformative. Cumulative learning is a formation of something new (a novel concept,
categorization solution or idea) in an isolated setting and occurs when no context or
meaning is associated with the learning. This process occurs commonly when toddlers
and young children are experiencing the world around them for the first time. It is rare as
adults but occurs when we are experiencing a new culture or circumstance where no prior
or background knowledge exists. Assimilative learning is the addition of something new
25
to an existing pattern or schema. Accommodative learning occurs through the separation
and splicing of a schema to allow for a grafting of a new pattern. Transformative leaning
occurs through the modification of a personality so that a person learns to behave
differently in certain circumstances and occurs often as a result of a crisis (Illeris, 2003a,
2003b).
Learning is also linked to motivation and emotions by external factors such as
culture and social interaction (Illeris, 2003a, 2007; Damasio, 1994). Antonio Damasio
(1994) indicated that even though motivation, emotion, and learning work separately in
the adult brain, they work in conjunction with one another (Illeris, 2003a, 2007; Damasio,
1994). Illeris (2007) also considers the moments when learning is blocked, the occasions
when we learn more effectively, and when we learn something unintentionally. He
implies that the environment in which we learn is greatly related to these instances and
hypothesizes that the creation of optimal learning environments, which include selfdirected and student-centered activities, are needed in order to achieve optimal learning
outcomes. He states that self-directed learning is especially important when total trust in
the educator is diminished (Illeris, 2007).
How do youth learn?
Given that our teenage years are a time of transition from childhood into
adulthood, Illeris (2003b) formulated a theory of learning for youth that includes aspects
of adult and child learning. The major aspect of learning as youth is the act of taking
responsibility for our learning. Taking responsibility for our learning implies a
prioritization of the concepts we intend to learn and experiences we intend to learn from,
while developing our own sense of personal identity. Juggling these responsibilities in
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today’s society is challenging. Firstly, the learning environment for youth is extremely
chaotic (Illeris, 2003b). Due to advances in information technology and social media, the
amount of information available to youth is large. The wealth of information forces youth
to make decisions regarding the relevant content they need to learn early on in their
development (Illeris, 2003b). Secondly, the learner’s trust in the educator is significantly
reduced as the youth are encouraged to think critically (Illeris, 2003b). Learning in
adolescence, therefore, becomes more self-directed than in childhood. Finally, during the
learning process youth encounters contradictory situations. This is especially prevalent
when considering the role of identity building in a rapidly changing in society (Illeris,
2003b). For this reason Illeris (2003b) also included the concept of identity development
in his theory of learning. Illeris (2003b) postulates that youth must conform to societal
expectations and become contributing members of their communities by acquiring the
skills necessary to achieve employment. At the same time, youth discover their place in
the world and find meaning in their lives. Through exploring the world’s cultures,
knowledge and philosophies, youth learn how to make decisions more effectively by
developing the capacities of meta-cognition, critical thought and reflection. The
successful entry into adulthood is therefore a challenging time in terms of learning and
identity building (Illeris, 2003b, 2007).
The Theory of Positive Youth Development
In the mid 1990s, positive youth development emerged from the field of positive
psychology, as a response to the diagnostic and problem-solving approach that dominated
the field of psychology. Positive psychology emphasizes the subjective experiences of
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“well-being, contentment and satisfaction in the past, hope and optimism for the future
and flow, and happiness in the present” (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, p. 5).
This statement speaks not of the prevention of emotional turmoil but the creation
of tranquility of mind, body and soul in individuals. This philosophy was translated into
the positive youth development movement through works of prominent youth
psychologists. Positive youth development is a shift away from a preventative approach
towards an approach that is encouraging. The traditional approach focuses on specific
problems such as drug abuse or youth crimes; whereas, positive youth development
encourages personal asset development in all youth (Khan, 2012; Restuccia & Brundy,
2003; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). The theory argues that through the
development of key assets, a youth becomes better prepared for adult life, thereby
enabling the person to successfully navigate adulthood (Benson et al., 2006; Edwards,
Mumford, & Serra-Rolden, 2007; Lerner et al., 2002; Lauzon, 2013). The proponents of
positive youth development argue that an effective transition into adulthood creates
people who are productive and responsible members for themselves, their families, and
society (Benson, 2002).
Positive Youth Development is founded on two concepts: building resiliency in
youth and creating the capacities in youth that enables youth to thrive. According to
Krovetz (1999), resiliency has multiple dimensions including: The development of
positive interpersonal skills; competence in problem solving and self-advocacy; a sense
of one’s own identity and a freedom to choose and a sense of purpose for the future.
Often thought of as a trait that mitigates the effect of adverse events, resiliency
also enables a person to navigate the normal struggles and the highs of life. Lerner et al.,
28
(2002) expanded PYD to include the building of assets in youth that allow them to thrive
in later life. Thriving youth extend their locus of concern from themselves to their family
and community members (Lerner et al., 2002). This shift from self-interest to otherinterest is an essential step in becoming engaged with one’s community and developing
the ability to act for social change. Positive youth development thus has the capability of
guiding individuals to become capable of responding to a crisis properly while thriving
on the challenge (Edwards, 2007; Park, 2004).
As stated in Chapter 1, Lerner et al. (2005) states that the assets needed for
successful navigation of adulthood fit into five categories known as the five C’s. These
are:
1) Competence: A positive view of one’s actions in the domain specific areas including
social, academic, cognitive and vocational.
2) Confidence: An internal sense of overall positive self-worth and self-efficacy; one’s
global self-regard, as opposed to domain-specific beliefs.
3) Connection: Positive bonds with people and institutions that are reflected in bidirectional exchanges between the individual and peers, family, school, and community
in which both parties contribute to the relationship.
4) Character: Respect for societal and cultural rules, possession of standards for correct
behaviour, a sense of right and wrong (morality), and integrity.
29
5) Caring: A sense of sympathy and empathy for others.
A sixth C, contribution, has been added through both theoretical and empirical
arguments in order to account for youth’s accountability to their own communities
(Lerner et al., 2005). The authors argue that youth who are more adept at contributing to
their community have a higher probability to succeed in their lives. Lerner et al. (2005)
theorized that an increase in “contribution to community” encourages youth to thrive by
building assets that enable youth to adapt to their ecological and contextual realities more
effectively. The relationship between a youth’s contribution to society and their
participation in afterschool programs was low. However, a significantly positive
relationship between a youth’s contribution to society and positive youth development
was found (Lerner et al., 2005). These confounding results lead Lerner et al. (2005) to
postulate that the abilities of individuals to contribute to their community are constrained
by age and other external factors, such as lack of access to self-transportation. Given that
access to self-transportation and a person’s age can create barriers that prevent youth
from participating in adult society this explanation is highly possible. In their belief that
community-based youth programs increase the opportunities available to young people to
participate in community activities, Lerner et al. (2005) studied a group of fifth graders.
This study revealed that participation in youth programs was independent of positive
youth development. This puzzled the researchers who then proposed that the problem
with the study was with age of subjects. They theorized that the participants were too
young to benefit from community participation, as they would not have developed the
30
necessary capacities to benefit from said community involvement (Lerner et al., 2005;
Werner, 1957).
In the same study, Lerner et al. (2005) tested the five C model predictability of
positive youth development and found positive correlations of all five Cs to positive
youth development. Lower p-values were found for caring compared to the other
components of the five C model. The article stated that caring was not a developed
concept, therefore caring lacked precision lowering the ability of the study to measure the
relationship between positive youth development and the asset of caring. Given the
restraints of the survey, Lerner et al. (2005), postulated that a different approach was
needed to achieve higher correlations between the Five C’s and positive youth
development. The authors stated that data collection methods that rely on self-report
might lead to imprecision in psychological studies, especially among youth (Learner et
al., 2005). Given the variance in quantitative studies regarding positive youth
development, I propose that sustained participant observation and a qualitative
methodology is needed in order to delineate a deeper understanding of the patterns
observed between the Five C model and the afterschool programs.
Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi (2000) list personal traits that exist within
individuals and among groups who experience success. Three of these traits included in
the list are an aesthetic sensibility, future mindedness and originality, which all appear to
be missing from the Five C model. It is my contention that the Five C model, rooted in its
origins of positive psychology, needs to include an additional “C” for creativity to
capture these traits. Creativity is the ‘making’ of something that is new and of value
(Hennessey & Amabile, 2010). The development of imagination is imperative to this
31
process as it builds an avenue for novel ideas and solutions to be nurtured through dreamlike thought processes (Greene, 2008, Sawyer et al., 2003; Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). The
development of critical judgment and reflection on the beauty or usefulness of the novel
creation is the final aspect needed for creativity.
To be most effective, positive youth development must be a community effort.
This includes the youth’s families and social networks, learning initiatives (most notably
schools and after school programs), community-based programs, spiritual organizations
and the youth’s peer groups (Benson, 2002; Granger, 2002). Meeting with youth as
partners in community initiatives is essential as it increases youth engagement and does
not marginalize them or their ideas (Edwards et al., 2007). The increased ownership
youth feel when working as partners with adults will help sustain youth-driven projects,
increasing the benefits of the programs for present and future youth. Sustained program
funding and community involvement enables youth workers to be innovative in their
programming, further benefiting youth with a wide variety of activities. This is
particularly evident at Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre, where a variety
programs have developmental benefits for youth (Khan, 2012).
The Benefits of Afterschool Programs on Youth
Despite the use of techniques and methodologies grounded in the work of learning
theorists, many teachers are unable to create a classroom that engages youth in learning
in today’s education system (Robinson, 2011; Greene, 2005). Top-down learning
structures dominate education in North American schools (Robinson, 2011). These
structures increase youth disengagement at school, which exacerbates the problems in
education as curriculums are not relevant to most youth nor are they youth-driven. The
32
state of modern education is mostly derived from the need to provide skilled labour in an
industrial world. The education system is highly skewed towards the production of
professionals such as: doctors, lawyers and teachers. At the end-point of western
education is a research-based professor (Robinson, 2011). It is evident that given the
change society is undergoing, the majority of education systems in the western world
have become out-dated in a world dominated by information technology (Robinson,
2011). However, afterschool programs, not being as restricted by curriculum demands or
as pressured by outside lobbyists, can offer a different structure that allows youth to learn
life skills in a more appropriate and fun way.
Afterschool programs offer a unique ability to provide an opportunity for
experiential learning. With a flexible curriculum that allows for student-driven learning
exercises, projects and evaluation, an adolescent has the ability to explore aspects of their
lives that are not usually found in public schools. Through the opportunities offered at
afterschool programs youth learn new skills and often manifest self-confidence, selfadvocacy, and eventually the advocacy for others as a result (Lerner, 2002). The benefits
of afterschool programs are achieved through instruction, relationship building and role
modeling by the program coordinators. Also, by understanding that giving youth choice
of learning methods is imperative to building a sense of empowerment in teens. Choice
also provides space that enables the students to discover new ways of learning and allows
teenagers to examine how they learn best (Montessori, 1967; Benson, 2002). The
structures afterschool programs may offer include mentorship from peers, volunteers and
program leaders, recreational facilities for sports and games, an inclusive space to
socialize or ‘hangout’ with friends along with instruction and space to practice art, music
33
and dance (Lerner et al., 2002; Christie, 2012; Khan, 2012). These structures enable
youth to discover their potential and the potential of becoming lifelong learners (Lauzon,
2013).
34
The impact of music and arts-based programs on teenagers
Research has identified that community arts projects can benefit participants and
communities in a variety of ways (Bolden, 2013). Community arts projects can be
vehicles for personal, social, economic, and educational change (Newman, Curtis, &
Stephens, 2003). These projects promote cultural awareness and community engagement
(Jones, 1988). By facilitating intergenerational relationships, community art projects
provide youth with a vehicle for communication with adults leading to enhanced wellbeing (Varvarigou, Creech, Hallam, & McQueen, 2011). Establishing collective identity
and solidarity, arts projects help build ownership in their community, thereby creating the
community assets needed for healthy and sustainable community life (Lowe, 2000).
Another benefit of community arts projects is the raising of the participants’ confidence
in their personal artistic potential by the teachings provided by the expert artists (Lowe,
2001). Additionally, when participants interact with an expert artist a boost of confidence
occurs through a process of legitimization.
Recent research has focused on the impact that music making initiatives have on
personal growth (Hallam, 2010). A study performed by Susan Hallam (2010) showed that
music making processes enhance the development of “literacy, numeracy, measures of
intelligence, general attainment, creativity, fine motor co-ordination, concentration, selfconfidence, emotional sensitivity, social skills, team work, [and] self-discipline” (Hallam,
2010, p. 1). However, the study also reported that the experience must be “enjoyable"
(Hallam, 2010, p. 1) for the social and personal benefits to arise in youth. This implies
that the social environment is critical to the musician’s improvement in music and to their
personal development. This finding was corroborated by Creech & Hallam (2011) in a
35
study of school-aged participants. It was found that a positive relationship between pupil
and teacher was essential to creating positive development in the youth.
The music making process is the process of creating music and includes:
improvisation, composition and production. It provides an individual with opportunity to
build intrapersonal and interpersonal skills (Karlson, 2011). Composition and production
lead to a final product that may contribute to a sense of accomplishment, which would
naturally create a boost in confidence in the individual or the group. Self-confidence is
the first step in developing into a thriving individual (Lerner et al., 2002). The process of
music making in a group setting, forces communication between the musicians or
members of the group (Heble et al., 2013). This process enables individuals to start or
continue to learn how to build relationships with other people with whom they share
similar interests. By building these relationships inside a space that encourages positive
development, a youth can explore their identity (Karlson, 2011). This is also achieved
through the encouragement of self-expression. Although not as explicit as in art or
storytelling, composition offers individuals the ability to express emotion or learn how to
cope with multiple emotions at once. This type of expression can be particularly
empowering as it allows for ownership of a person’s own feelings and in some cases the
articulation of an abuse of power by an authority figure (Karlson, 2009; Jorgensen, 2007).
Group improvisation is of particular interest as the process is an implicit act of
consensus. In its peek form, musicians work together to create not only something new
but also a singular musical piece (Heble, 2000). Although the piece often sounds chaotic
at first, there is implicit agreement upon throughout the process. By working together and
learning from each other, the musicians learn to improve the sound and coherency of the
36
music. Listening to others, melding a sound and awareness of rhythm are essential to the
process (Heble, 2000). Momentary awareness and attention are also important for the
success of the improvisational session (Sansom, 2007; Heble, 2000). This process results
in the building of identity (Sansom, 2007). These skills may become transferable into
non-musical settings but require proper guidance to be realized. Improvisation also leads
to a sense of communal accomplishment and the building of friendships. This creates a
sense of camaraderie amongst musicians (Karlson, 2011). Social change is therefore
emergent through both the process of music making and expression.
The concept of creativity as an essential component of positive development
of youth
Given the wide variety of definitions of creativity in the literature, I will keep my
definition simple and broad: the action and product of generating something new (novel)
and of value (Hennessey & Amabile, 2010). Although extremely broad, this definition
encapsulates the concepts that allow for the study of how creativity is fostered in youth.
Fostering imagination is essential in developing creativity in individuals. Maxine
Greene (2000), an educational philosopher, calls for the inclusion of imagination and art
in the school curriculum. Greene argues that arts provokes us to look beyond, imagine,
and appreciate aesthetics. She says:
It is not that the artist offers solutions or gives directions. He nudges; he
renders us uneasy; he makes us (if we are lucky) see what we would not
have seen without him (Greene, 2000, p. 276).
When we look beyond or see what we have not seen before, we discover something new.
This discovery motivates us to create or generate what we now understand into a product
that inspires others by its beauty or enables us to use the product in a new fashion.
Through that uneasy feeling, created by the artist, we learn to be more than what we were
37
before (Greene, 2000). This, I believe to be the influence imagination has, it inspires.
Corroborated in a study by Jeffery (2006) where he found that creativity is characterized
by intrinsic motivation, defined as an impulse to create for enjoyment, challenge, or
interest (Hennessey & Amabile, 2010), imagination and critique of the generated product
and the creative process. He also found that through this process young people built
meaningful educational identities (Jeffery, 2008).
Jeffery (2006) employed creative learning to study youth and children. Through
creative learning, which is a project-based teaching methodology that involves the learner
being part of all the lessons - from content selection to evaluation, Jeffery (2006)
discovered the characteristics that are needed for youth to develop their creativity. The
characteristics include: using the learners experience and imagination in the creation of
something novel, activating the learner in multiple activities, and reviewing both the
product and the process of generation of the idea into something substantial (Jeffery,
2006). The author concluded that for the learner to engage in and benefit from creative
learning, the learning activities need to be relevant, the learner must have control and
ownership over the learning process, and product and the project must have an innovative
aspect.
The social environment can greatly affect a person’s creativity (Hennessey &
Amabile, 2010). Extrinsic motivation usually constrains creativity. Expected rewards,
surveillance, external evaluation, restricted choice and competition generally interfere
with intrinsic motivation thereby, negatively effecting the development of creativity. This
was found to affect people in all stages of life (Amabile, 1996; Hennessey, 1998).
38
Therefore, for creativity to be nurtured in youth, extrinsic motivators should be
minimized to see optimal results.
How musicians experience “flow” during performance
The mental state of “flow” is an optimum experience. Flow is characterized by a
heightened awareness of the information that is congruent with an individual’s goals and
aspirations, a euphoric happiness, an intense focus on the activity the person is doing in
the moment, and a general sense of order (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991/2008). This experience
has been reported by many athletes, musicians and other professionals during
participation in their favoured activity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991/2008). The key to
inducing this mental state is to engage in an activity so completely that all focus and
awareness is captured within the scope of the activity. Additionally, the challenge has to
match the person’s skill level for the activity to engage the necessary focus for flow to
occur but not bore or frustrate the person, which would lead to a distracted or a
despondent state preventing flow. This relationship is positive as the greater a person’s
skill set, the greater the challenge must be (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991/2008).
Even though the reports of flow states induced by music composing, performing
and listening are sparse, three studies have shown the relationship between musical
activities and flow (Bernard, 2009; Diaz, 2013; Wrigley & Emmerson, 2013). Bernard
(2009) explored the relationships between flow and music making experiences. Through
a narrative methodology, the author illuminated the experiences of university students’
flow states during music making. Given the meaning that the students attached to these
powerful experiences, the author concluded that building a deeper knowledge base of the
relationship between flow and music making would help further music education
39
(Bernard, 2009). Diaz (2013) studied the effect of flow experience during music
listening. Using a continuous response digital interface and a questionnaire, Diaz (2013)
revealed that university students experience a heightened attention, focus and positive
experience. However, given that the results of the effect flow has on the students while
listening to music were interacting highly with other factors such as aesthetic response
and mindfulness induction, the author found it difficult to conclude anything other than
further speculating on the reasons for the integration of these findings. Wrigley &
Emmerson (2013) studied the occurrence of flow states in high-school students
performing live music. Using a standardized test designed to detect flow states the
researchers found that the students rarely entered flow states while performing. It was
concluded that the high level of challenge, the prevalence of ‘performance anxiety’, and
nature of live performance prevented flow state from occurring. However, under the
influence of different environmental factors, such as music style and decreased
expectation, flow states may occur more frequently. These three studies demonstrate that
flow states in musical performance, composing and listening are extremely complex
relying on the skill, confidence and mental state of the participants’ (Bernard, 2009; Diaz,
2013; Wrigley & Emmerson, 2013).
40
Conceptual Framework
This diagram depicts the method that was used to ascertain the impact of Fusion’s
Music Program on the youth in Ingersoll. The Fusion Youth Activity and Technology
Centre supports the development of assets in youth through learning structures that are
experiential and youth driven (B. Khan, 2014; Christie, 2012; B. Khan, 2012). The
afterschool program enables the staff of Fusion to use learning methods with the intention
of facilitating the development of rural youth by asking the youth what they would like to
do and learn while at Fusion (Khan, 2014). Situated inside Fusion is a unique music
program, which gives youth the opportunity to: learn popular music; improvise music
within a group setting; develop social acumen; and engage in flow (Heble, 2000;
Newman et al., 2003; Csikszentmihalyi, 1991/2008).
In order to ascertain the developmental impacts on the youth of their participation
in Fusion’s Music Program, the ‘Five C Model’ (Competence, Confidence, Connection,
Character and Caring) constructed by prominent psychologists in the field of positive
physiology, was used (Lerner et al., 2005; Bowers et al., 2010; Benson, 2002). For
41
purposes outlines by Lerner et al. (2005) the “C” of Competence was added to the model.
Given the importance of creativity to the art form of music and the daily lives of youth a
seventh “C”, Creativity, was explored as well (Sansom, 2007; Greene, 2000, 2005;
Hennessey & Amabile, 2010). The development ascertained in the youth is intended to
inform: the staff and managers of Fusion; music education research; learning and positive
youth development theory.
Summary
By examining the current theories and ideas in the fields of positive psychology,
education, music, and capacity development, this chapter reviewed the literature
surrounding the role Fusion’s Music Program plays in the daily lives of participants. A
description of the living conditions for youth, challenges youth face, and what it means to
be a youth living in rural Ontario provided a valuable understanding of the backdrop
surrounding Fusion’s music program. A description of experiential learning theories,
positive development theory, and the effect after-school programming for youth, revealed
the effects of youth driven after-school programming. Furthermore, the descriptions of
the concept of creativity imagined as an asset that aids the development of youth, the
impact arts based programming, and the experiences flow states during musical activities,
provided a basis for further exploration of the effect music programs have on today’s
rural youth. This literature review in conjunction of the research already performed at
Fusion see Chapter 3) provided the information needed to create a conceptual framework
(see Chapter 4) used in the analysis of the data collected for the case study of the Fusion
Music Program.
42
43
Chapter 3: Fusion Youth Activity and
Technology Centre
Introduction
The Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre (Fusion) is an afterschool program
offered to the youth of Ingersoll for a five-dollar yearly fee. The Centre’s programming is
youth driven (Khan, 2014). In order to provide an engaging and inclusive environment
through the provision of extra curricular activities for the youth of Ingersoll, the
municipality formed a youth centre now known as the Fusion Youth Activity and
Technology Centre (Fusion, 2010). Currently the Centre provides several services.
Fusion’s programs serve many purposes as they help provide an avenue where youth are
able to avoid high-risk behaviours, build relationships, develop skills and contribute to
their community. The recreational programming includes: a skate park, a cooking
program, a fine arts studio, a computer laboratory, computer programming training, a
radio production suite, an entrepreneurial program, an equipped gymnasium and a music
program boasting a professional style recording studio. Of particular interest for this
study is the Music Program at Fusion. It provides a fully equipped music studio providing
free music lessons, jam sessions, and experience in the recording and production of
music. Program leaders, who provide guidance and instruction to the youth, supervise the
activities at the music studio.
The Impact of Fusion on the youth of Ingersoll
44
The instruction and guidance from program leaders at Fusion reaches across the
vast majority of programming options provided (Khan, 2014). The Fusion Centre has
become a fascinating example of an intervention that facilitates youth development
through focusing on experiential learning and positive youth development that has
produced several positive outcomes (Khan, 2012). These include the building of
advocacy, self-confidence and relationships among the youth (Christie, 2012).
The origin and theories of experiential learning, and positive youth development
are critically important to understanding how Fusion intends to create social change in
the community of Ingersoll. By building an inclusive after-school program that applies
the theories of experiential learning through diverse, youth driven and voluntary
programming Fusion allows the youth to explore their interests. The inclusive atmosphere
in the centre enables youth to build positive relationships amongst both the other youth
and the staff members. It has been reported that the youth do not create cliques at Fusion
but instead converse with all members as comrades (Christie, 2012). Cliques often
reinforce class regimes and therefore create inequities amongst the youth as members
struggle for favours from the powerful (teachers and adults) (Christie, 2012). Breaking
down this social construct is therefore important when encouraging equitable relationship
among youth (Christie, 2012).
The Music Program
Fusion programming is youth driven. The youth at Fusion identify their needs,
then plan, prepare, apply projects to address these needs and then reflect on their projects
(Khan, 2012). This was particularly evident in the creation of a professional music studio
at Fusion. Youth approached the coordinators to build a music studio. The youth were
45
then encouraged to think big to help create a professional music studio for the youth to
enjoy the full range of popular music. The studio is utilized for both professional
musicians and the youth members of Fusion exposing the youth to the production,
recording and performance of music (Fusion, 2010). The building of the music studio
provided youth with experiential learning opportunities unique to these types of after
school programs. By empowering youth in this manner, the community of Ingersoll
hoped to create more engaged youth, thereby fostering a sense of community in Ingersoll
(Town of Ingersoll, 2007). Participation in programming at Fusion is voluntary.
Voluntary structured activities enable youth to build both ownership of the project and
create a structure for students to plan, prepare, execute and reflect (Lerner, 2002). As
discussed above, this approach allows for learning from experience to occur. A personal
sense of ownership to the activities may ensure sustainability, which is evident at Fusion.
For example, for the past few years the members of Fusion have collaborated to create a
haunted house (Fusion, 2008). The planning and preparation of the Haunted House is
extensive. During the month of October the members decide on a theme, plan, and
prepare a set, make-up, costumes and props. The haunted house is then opened to the
public. Throughout this process, youth learn the competencies necessary to execute this
sort of project. Through both the success and failures of this project, youth gain valuable
insight and experience. This type of programming has resulted in valuable development
of the youth in the areas of “Identity Work, Basic Skills, Positive Relationships, and
Team Work and Social Skills” (Khan, 2012). Building these assets through their learning
involvement in programming at Fusion, youth increase their ability to thrive and build
resiliency (Khan, 2014).
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Other Impacts of Fusion
Fusion, as an after school program, also provides services of prevention. Given
the large amount of time youth remain unsupervised between when they get home from
school and time in which their parents get home from work and the youths inability to
find adequate places to ‘hang-out’ in the town, programs like Fusion provide safe places
for youth to avoid seedier sides of small towns. Youth at Fusion have reported that at
Fusion the lack of peer pressure and the rules of the centre allow them not to worry about
pressure to do drugs and vandalize (Christie, 2012). This indicates that the youth in
Ingersoll are using Fusion as a safe haven, somewhere they can relax without worrying
about peer pressure and bad behaviour (Christie, 2012; Khan, 2012). The provision of
this space is essential for youth to commune and prevents them from getting into trouble.
Through mentoring, Fusion also offers scaffolding for youth to transition into
adulthood. It has been noted that the role of mentoring is a factor in determining youth’s
participation at Fusion (Christie, 2012). Conversations with youth have revealed a high
degree of respect for the coordinator of the fine arts studio at Fusion (Christie, 2012).
This indicates that participation in these programs is also linked to the relationship the
youth have with the staff or mentors at Fusion. Further research is needed in this area to
discover the extent of the importance of mentorship at Fusion.
Participation at Fusion has also been linked to an increase in health and wellbeing
(Cross, 2012). Outcomes related to youth health and well being included “reduced stress,
staying positive, feeling accepted, engaging in physical activity, learning to have goals,
building skills, making healthy choices, and reducing the need for risk-taking
behaviours” (Cross, 2012:1). An increase in health and wellbeing has obvious benefits
47
that include an increased decision-making ability, which is an essential for youth to
thrive.
Summary
Fusion, as an afterschool program, provides youth driven activities as well as
providing an inclusive place to socialize, creating multiple benefits for the youth. The
benefits include increased health and wellbeing, an inclusive social environment for
youth to hang out, multiple learning opportunities and asset development. The music
program, like some of the other programs, offers them the ability to learn music, develop
essential assets, find meaning and explore their identity.
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Chapter 4: Methodology
Introduction
The following chapter provides an in-depth description of the methodology of this
study. The Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre’s Music Program is utilized as
a case study to examine the impact of the Music Program on the youth participants.
This chapter defines qualitative inquiry and a rationale for its use in this thesis is
presented. Then it goes on to describe the use of case studies in research methodology
and Fusion’s Music as a case study. Finally, methodological challenges associated with
studying youth, the procedures used to collect the data for the study, and the processes
used in the analysis of the data are outlined.
Qualitative Inquiry
In 2011, Fredrick Erikson defined qualitative inquiry as an effort that:
Seeks to discover and describe in narrative reporting what people do in their
everyday lives and what their actions mean to them. It identifies meaning –
relevant kinds of things in this world – kinds of people, kinds of actions, kinds of
beliefs and interests – focusing on difference in forms of things that make for a
difference in meaning (p. 43)
Erikson (2011) continues to describe the kinds of questions that qualitative
researchers ask when applying this practice, including: asking questions about people’s
orientations to the experiences, symbols and materials in their daily lives. The description
of the context of the individuals’ lives then enables the researcher and participants to
place meaning on the artifacts under study. These artifacts include materials, symbols
and metaphors, people, actions, beliefs, and interests that bring meaning to the daily lives
of people. Erikson (2011) argues that by focusing on the differences inherent in the
artifacts, we build an understanding of what life is to us.
49
Qualitative inquiry is concerned with the depth of understanding of the data under
specific contexts (Denzin & Lincon, 2011). By delving deeply, qualitative methodologies
enable researchers to see patterns that are not necessarily expressed using counts and
statistical tests like quantitative data analysis. Qualitative researchers use patterns
expressed in narrative form as a basis of their studies. By using narrative within
qualitative inquiry the researcher tells a more in-depth story than numbers expressed in
quantitative studies (Erikson, 2011).
The use of qualitative inquiry in conjunction with a case study of the Music
Program at Fusion enables a depth of understanding of patterns and developmental
impacts that are attributed to the music program. The narratives of the youth and program
leaders at Fusion’s Music Program enables the researcher to discover the patterns that
lead to the developmental impact on youth and the other structures that aid the youth at
Fusion in their daily lives.
Using Case Studies as a Research Methodology
I chose to use a case study approach to research the impact of Fusion Youth
Activity and Technology Centre’s Music Program on its youth participants. A case study
is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary (2015) as: “an intensive analysis of an
individual unit (a person or community) stressing developmental factors in relation to its
environment.”
Flyvbjerg (2011) describes how the above-mentioned working definition of case
studies is particularly useful by suggesting how a researcher should go about completing
his or her investigations. Firstly, it uses the word intensive, which implies the use of
methodologies that examine the unit being studied in a manner that is total. The word
50
individual necessitates that the inquiry is bounded in scope to a single unit. By stating
developmental factors it implies that the research measures a change that is bounded
within the single unit over a time period. Finally, the use of the phrase in relation to its
environment implies that the analysis must be placed in a specific context of the unit of
analysis. Thus, case studies seek to describe and discover specific phenomena in the
world by searching for new information, knowledge, and understandings in contextspecific situations (Flyvbjerg, 2011).
In addition, by obtaining a depth of data that is not available through survey-based
research, new patterns may be found. The depth of analysis allows researchers to
examine concepts that are not measured well by conventional statistical methods, such as
relationships and motivations. By creating specific recommendations based on the
context of the single unit of measure, case studies become powerful tools for practitioners
and consultants to use to solve problems (Flyvbjerg, 2011).
The Case Study: Fusion’s Music Program
This research project used the Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre’s
Music Program, located in Ingersoll, Ontario, as a case study. Fusion’s Music Program
provided an opportunity to research the relationship between an afterschool Music
Program and the development of youth through social interaction and active music
learning. Youth between the ages of twelve and eighteen years old and the Program
leaders and a past program leader participated in the study.
The Music Program at Fusion started in 2009. Youth have the opportunity to
develop social and musical skills through participation in this program (Fusion, 2010).
The program now offers an array of musical activities with an emphasis on education in
51
popular music. Youth are offered music lessons in: guitar, electric bass, drums, piano and
voice. They have access to a listening booth that enables exploration of popular music.
An open music hall provides a space for instrumental music practice and improvisation.
Another booth is made available for youth to record vocals. Finally, the Music Program
at Fusion provides access to a full suite of music production. A multi-purpose music
studio allows youth to experience studio recording, editing, mixing, and other production
activities. By collaborating with other media programs within Fusion, the Music Program
offers a rich variety of media activities such as music video production and music
composition for video games.
All activities are youth driven and directed. This adds to the youth’s feelings of
ownership and relevance (Fusion, 2010). The Music Program originated after the
participants expressed the desire to start a music studio. The youth at Fusion originally
wanted a small studio with access to instruments and a computer to record their sessions.
The youth members at Fusion helped formulate a proposal to create a professional style
studio with a digital sound mixing board, vocal booth, and practice room or jam hall, all
sound proofed so that the recorded sound is free of interference from the environmental
sounds of the Centre.
The Music Program is suited for research using a case study design for three main
reasons. First, the presence of a Music Program like Fusion’s in a rural setting is a
phenomenon. It is rare for youth to have access to production, composition, and
performance parts of music making. Second, the context-specific learning that occurs in
the Music Program emulates that of a case study method in that the program’s nature
allows the youth to learn to become experts or virtuosos (Bourdieu, 1987; Flyvbjerg,
52
2011). Finally, the Music Program provides adequate boundaries as the physical space at
the studio allows youth to better conceptualize the Program. This geographical boundary
allows youth to separate experiences at Fusion’s Music Program from the external
environment, enabling the researcher to study a specific location’s effects.
Data Collection Procedures
Data was collected using three methods: participant observation, interviews and a
validation focus group. In order to verify the information collected from the research
participants, the data was triangulated by comparing the data collected through the above
procedures (Hambly-Odame, 2012). The three methods will be discussed in detail below.
Participant Observation
Observation often provides the basis of qualitative research (P. A. Adler & P.
Adler, 1994; Angrosino & Rosenberg, 2011). Classic observation techniques have
searched for objective truth through unobtrusive observation. However, over the last halfcentury, observational research has changed from its classic form to a research
methodology that places the researcher in collaboration with the participants of the study
(Angrosino & Rosenberg, 2011). This change has many consequences when formulating
a plan to collect data through observation. A contemporary view in observational
research necessitates three major concepts be included in the research design: 1) the
participants of the study influence the content and form of the observations; 2) the
observer is now intrusive to the natural setting and in fact becomes a member of the
setting; and, 3) the research is more subjective in nature and is accounted for by the
researcher illuminating his or her personal bias and background to the participants, as
described in the research methodology below (Angrosino & Rosenberg, 2011).
53
The design of this research method is described in four stages, with varying
degrees of participant influence integrated into the design. The four stages were Initial
Observations, Researcher Integration, Reflection and Synthesis, and Delayed Reflective
Journal. The four-stage design was implemented for three additional reasons:
1. The creation of a scaffold of learning was needed for the researcher to discover
the information in a logical and easy manner (Vygosky, 1978);
2. Building relationships with the participants in order garner more information
while interviewing and create an ease of procurement of the interviews
themselves; and,
3. It was determined that an insider experience of the Music Program at Fusion was
essential to gain access and decipher information regarding impact of the Music
Program on its youth and its Program leaders.
In order to account for researcher bias, the following is a description of the
researcher’s experience, gender, race, age and social status. The researcher is a white
male of 28-29 years of high middle class birth. He is an amateur musician, trained in
environmental science at an undergraduate level and attended teacher’s college for
secondary school education. He also has experience teaching music and windsurfing to
youth through private lessons. He is currently a Master’s candidate, studying Capacity
Development and Extension at the University of Guelph.
Stage 1: Initial Observations
In March of 2014 direct observations of the Music Program for the first few days of data
collection were performed. The Program leaders were contacted through Fusion’s
administration and the proposed research was presented at a staff meeting prior to data
54
collection. During this time, field notes were taken on a daily basis. In order to structure
the research so that the learning occurred in a logical manner, the following observations
were made using a checklist and a daily journal.
Observations of the learning methods being used by the program leaders included:
behaviour management techniques, mentoring techniques, relationship building and
group instruction techniques. The areas of observations were:
1) Observations of the music lessons performed by the program leaders were
completed to ascertain the teaching style and methodologies used by both
leaders;
2) Observations of the recording sessions and the editing process afterwards
were used to identify learning processes of the youth and explore their
experience of the music production process;
3) Observations of the attitudes the youth have towards their peers in the Music
Program and Program leaders;
4) Observations of the actions of the youth and the program leaders in regards to
developmental assets were completed to provide baseline for further learning
and development outcomes within the two month period of observation;
5) Observations of other structures that lead to learning, especially peer-to-peer
learning;
6) Notes and observations of the physical studio, the jam/practice hall and the
social environment were taken; and,
7) Daily routines, schedules and timetables of the youth and Program leaders
were recorded.
55
During this time, the researcher also distributed the letter of information and
consent form regarding the observational process to the participants. This procedure was
three-fold: 1) enabled the youth participants and Program leaders to provide informed
consent; 2) allowed the researcher to explain his presence and his research to the
participants; and, 3) enabled the participants to ask questions regarding the research, their
concerns and provide feedback to the researcher concerning the observational process.
Stage 2: Researcher Integration
After the initial observations, the researcher was integrated into the
‘performances’ as a participant, in order to build a deeper understanding of the
experiences of the youth during music playing, composing, and recording. The
integration took place over a three-week period during the months of March and April
2014. The following took place during this stage of the participant observation period:
1) Participation in jamming sessions to discover how this improvisational music
experience affected the participants and the researcher.
2) Conversations with the youth participants and Program leaders in order to
build a relationship with them. This procedure enabled the researcher to
understand the motives for participation, any sources of tension between the
youth and Program leaders and amongst youth, and the opinions youth had
about the Music Program and their leaders.
3) Observations and identification of learning outcomes of leaders and youth as a
result of their participation in the Music Program. Learning outcomes
included musical and social (i.e. confidence, communication and listening)
skills acquired.
56
The researcher then reflected on the musical actions and conversations in the form of an
observatory journal prepared on a weekly basis.
Stage 3: Reflection and Synthesis
The last three weeks of the participant observation was a reflective and synthesis
stage. This stage included:
1) Identification of the developmental impact of the Music Program (for example
the building of the Five “C” assets as well as creativity),
2) Identification of what the Music Program means to youth and its Program
leaders,
3) Conversations regarding ‘when I come to Fusion’ or ‘what does Fusion mean
to me’ took place to further the researcher’s understanding of motivation for
coming to Fusion and the meaning youth attribute to the time they spend
participating in Fusion’s activities;
4) Observation of instances where youth feel they are significant members of
Fusion’s Music Program community.
Two reflections were written, in the form of a journal, during this stage of the participant
observation procedure.
Stage 4: Delayed Reflective Journal
In Stage 4, a reflective Journal was written 2 months after the researcher’s time at
Fusion in order to create a synthesized view of the overall state of the Music Program and
express a reflection of the researcher’s time there. The journal included the researcher’s
opinions on:
57
1) General experience at Fusion (i.e. his thoughts, emotions and feelings while he
was at Fusion) and his opinion on what Fusion’s Music Program meant to the
youth participants;
2) The potential of Fusion’s Music Program;
3) The failings and successes of Fusion’s Music Program;
4) Recommendations for the future of the Program in light of the reflections made
in this and previous journals.
During this stage in the research, previous journals created were read and notes based on
the researcher’s current view on these older observations were written down.
In Depth Semi-Structured Interviews
A small number of intensive interviews were conducted in order to create a
deeper information base (Flyvbjerg, 2011). The thoughts, behaviours, actions, attitudes,
perspectives, life history, social situations and motives regarding the Music Program at
Fusion were topics of the interviews. The above topics provide a richness of data
inaccessible by others procedures (Christie, 2012; Flyvbjerg 2011). The interviews were
private (one-on-one basis) allowing for more personal conversation topics to be raised
due to the absence of peers and authority figures, which decreased pressure on the
interviewee (Christie, 2012; Boyce & Neale, 2006). The in-depth interviews provided a
powerful tool for the researcher as it supplied much of the data needed for analysis.
To ensure the interview process minimized bias, a semi-structured interview
procedure was adopted (Christie, 2012; Denscombe, 2007; Heath, Brooks, Cleaver, &
Ireland, 2009). Given the array of interpretations qualitative data can create, a set of
questions was prepared before the interviews. The preparation period provided the
58
researcher with a common basis of questions for analysis (Denzin, 2011). The interview
process for youth occurred in two stages. In the first stage, five youth were interviewed.
These five interviews were reviewed and for the next stage of the interviews, the
questions were altered to provide better information regarding the objectives of the study.
This created a reflective process ensuring better quality of data (Christie, 2012).
Eleven semi-structured interviews were completed in April and May of 2014.
Nine youth participants were interviewed to garner information regarding their
experience at Fusion. The two current Music Program leaders were interviewed about
their role as a teacher, mentor and leader to the youth. These were conducted to build on
the information provided by the participants and to provide different perspectives on the
effectiveness of the Program and the experiences of the youth.
A past program leader was interviewed in August 2014 about his experiences at
Fusion. The primary purpose of this interview was to elicit a past Program leader’s
perspectives on the outcomes, experiences, and structures that shaped his experience at
Fusion’s Music Program.
Most of the interviews were similar in context to keep consistency in the
procedure. It was determined that youth participation in the Music Program must be more
than six months to qualify for an interview because the research examined the Music
Program’s impact on the youths’ development. It was assumed that the longer a youth
had been attending the Program the greater the effect it would have on the youth’s
development. After observation of the Program for approximately 7 days, consultation
with the Program leaders and consultation with the Masters student’s advising professor
(Prof. Al Lauzon), it was determined that six months of participation was long enough for
59
the effects of the Music Program on a youth’s development to be measured. Eleven of the
interviews were completed at Fusion, the majority of which took place in the recording
studio (which was separate and sound proofed from the rest of the Program’s available
space). All the interviews were 15-50 minutes in length. The interviews conducted at
Fusion were all completed in person. The interview with the past Program leader was
performed over Skype. All interviews were held on a voluntary basis and all eligible
participants involved in the Music Program were offered the opportunity to be
interviewed thereby participating in the research project.
Validation Focus Group
A validation focus group was used to substantiate information obtained previously
through participant observation and interviews (Christie, 2012; Heath, et al., 2009; Palys,
1997). The format of a small discussion group allows for constructive conversation. The
dissemination of research and a question-answer period allows the researcher time to
describe the preliminary findings in a co-operative manner. The focus group also creates
an atmosphere that allows the participants and researcher to reflect on their experiences
during the data collection phase (Christie, 2012; Denscombe, 2007; Health, et al., 2009;
Bagnoli & Clark, 2010; Morgan, 1996).
In May 2014, a thirty-minute focus group discussion was conducted with six
participants. The small group discussion was intended to verify the findings of the
interviews. As such, the validation focus group took place after the interview data was
reviewed. The preliminary findings were first presented orally to the group in order to
prepare the participants for the discussion questions. The facilitator asked questions
regarding: The meaning the youth applied to their participation in Fusion’s Music
60
Program, their learning through the Program, motivation to participate in the Program,
and recommendations they had to improve the Program. The tone of the small group
discussion was conversational. The conversational tone encouraged participants to
reflect, respond to and build on their peers’ ideas. Adding to the validation process, the
focus group explored the research questions prepared by the researcher after a cursory
examination of the interviews and observations.
Analysis
Using the following process, a qualitative analysis was conducted by coding and
sorting the data collected through observations, field notes, interview recordings, and the
validation focus group recording.
1) The data was coded according to themes first using sticky notes. The sticky notes
were coded by using different colours or shapes of sticky note for each theme. The
information contained on each sticky note identified the alphanumeric code for the
interviewee, then the focus group, interview or observation field note related to the
theme. A quotation or observation was written on the note. In the case of the data
originating from a recording, the time stamp was written on the sticky note.
2) Sticky notes were placed on a wall in groups corresponding to the theme category,
identified by the sticky notes shape and colour. The positive youth development assets
framework (The Six ‘C’ model) with the addition of the assets of creativity, flow and
experiential learning were used in a conceptual framework to create the original themes
used during analysis.
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3) After all the data was sorted, the sticky notes were reviewed. At this point, three
additional themes emerged from the data: Culture of the Music Program, opportunities
for participants and Program leaders, and challenges for the leaders.
4) During a second review of the sticky notes, the data was sorted into sub themes by rearranging the sticky notes within the themes by commonality of topic. When appropriate,
a sticky note was moved into another theme category.
5) For recording purposes, pictures were taken of the wall of sticky notes. The pictures
were used primarily to replace any sticky note that had fallen off the wall.
6) The wall of sticky notes was then synthesized into an Excel document containing
themes and sub-themes. Talking points that corresponded with the quotations and
observations were added to the Excel document under the sub-themes.
7) Using the Excel document and wall of sticky notes as a guide, the findings chapters
were written in narrative form. The names of all participants and leaders were changed to
pseudonyms in order to use quotations and observations in explicating the findings.
Telling the story of the effect the Music Program has on the daily lives of the youth
participants and its Program leaders was completed. Each theme is discussed in detail and
provides some biographical information about the key youth participants and Program
leaders.
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The above process was designed to build a structure that encouraged the
researcher to critically reflect during the analysis of the data. Reflection enables the
researcher to find the emerging themes (Miles & Huberman, 1994). The themes and
talking points were peer-reviewed by the researcher’s advisor and classmates to assure
validity of the analysis.
Limitations of the research
In order to achieve the learning objectives of this study, restrictions were placed
on the scope and scale of the research. Given that a case study methodology was utilized,
the scope of the study is bounded by the context of a single unit of measure, Fusion’s
Music Program. As described in chapter three and above, Fusion is located in a small
town in South Western Ontario. The experiences, histories, and social pressures that lie
within rural Ontario influenced the stories told in Chapter 6 of this thesis. In addition,
Fusion’s Music Program is unique, as other programs with its large scope and scale do
not exist in rural areas of Ontario. Therefore, generalizations and comparisons outside the
context of youth in the rural area of South Western Ontario would be erroneous unless
the researcher accounts for the context of the research. Furthermore, this case study is
limited as the data collection was restricted to the concepts that are within the scope of
the conceptual framework. Therefore, the use of this study outside the fields of positive
psychology, education, music, afterschool programming, and capacity development
would be erroneous.
This research study was limited by its scale. This thesis examines and describes
the impact of a Music Program on the lives of youth and the Program leaders after the
Program has existed for 5 years. The consequences of the temporal scale are two fold.
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1) Impacts that rely on a longer time-period to arise cannot be ascertained; and,
2) The data from observations is strictly momentary as the observation time period
becomes a small subset of the Program. Therefore, observational data can only
validate data that is evident during the observation period.
For purposes of this case study the scale of the research on the Music Program was
limited to its current youth members, and its past and present Program leaders. Therefore,
the graduated youth members as well as the parents of the participants were not
interviewed. Their thoughts and feelings with regards to the Music Program at Fusion
remain unknown. In limiting the scale of the case study, some data remains outside the
realm of the research. Even though the scale and scope of the study limited the
knowledge acquired, this case study of Fusion’s Music Program created valuable
understandings of the impacts a rural Music Program can have on the youth of South
Western Ontario.
Ethical Considerations
In order to initiate research with human subjects, the University of Guelph’s
Research Ethics Board requires the researcher to consider the ethical ramifications of the
intended research. The current thesis accounts for ethical issues concerning consent,
confidentiality and anonymity, and adverse effects to personal wellbeing. A letter
indicating that the ethical issues surrounded the research as well as an explanation of the
research was distributed to the participants in the study so that participants could give
informed consent.
Given the small size of the program, guarantee of anonymity was not possible.
Any information reported by participants that indicates that participant is:
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1) In danger of abuse
2) Being abused
3) Abusing another
was to be reported to the authorities and the advising Professor immediately. Therefore,
confidentiality was guaranteed so far as the disclosed data did not involve reports of
abuse. To minimize adverse consequences of this study on participants and staff, the
researcher respected autonomy and dignity of all participants and planned an exit strategy
in order to minimize the sense of loss experienced by the youth.
The Methodological Challenges of Studying Youth
Studying youth can be quite different than studying children or adults (Christie,
2012). It is important to note, as described in the previous chapter, that youth are in a
time of transition from childhood to adulthood, which requires them to bear the
responsibilities of an adult independently (Illeris, 2007). While bearing this new
responsibility, youth discover their identity and deal with a great deal of change
associated with today’s Western society (Illeris, 2006; Corbett, 2013). Therefore,
research technique must be accommodated to the youth’s specific needs surrounding
autonomy, risk taking and power dynamics with adults. While researching youth at
Fusion, Christie’s (2012) four principles written by Best (2007) were implemented in
order to account for the challenges researchers face when studying youth. The principles
are:
1) A sustained concern for and consideration of the complexities of power and
exploitation in the research encounter;
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2) An acknowledgement of the connection between power and knowledge. Such
an acknowledgement requires that we recognize that the accounts we provide
shape and construct reality. Youth researchers play a significant role in shaping
the social experiences of children and youth through the discursive
constructions or accounts we provide,
3) A desire to conduct sound ethical research that empowers youth and children
and to find ways to improve the conditions under which their lives unfold;
4) A commitment to radical reflexivity that interrogates the varied points of
difference that intersect in our own lives and those we study. (Best 2007 p. 9;
Christie 2012 p. 51)
Several authors have discussed the presence of power dynamics during youth
development (Christie, 2012; Best, 2007; Leonard, 2007; Heath et al. 2009; Mahon et al.,
1996; Eder & Fingerson, 2001; Orb, Eisenhauer, & Wynaden, 2000). An abuse of power
by researchers can have deleterious effects on youths’ development by creating mistrust
between the youth and the adult community (Best, 2007; Leonard, 2007; Heath et al.,
2009; Mahon et al., 1996). Given the potential risk to youth of research that involves
power dynamics, egalitarian strategies should be used to account for the power
differential between youth participants and the adult researcher (Christie, 2012; Eder &
Fingerson, 2001).
Having youth self-consent allows youth to be autonomous and bear the
responsibility of the effects of the study. By allowing the youth to decide if participation
in a study is appropriate, self-consent fosters agency in the youth participating in the
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studies. Consent without parental involvement is essential to fostering agency in youth by
relieving parental pressure from the youths’ decision-making process (Christie, 2012;
Marrow & Richards, 1996; Heath, Charles, Crow, & Wiles, 2007; Sauci, Sawyer, Weller,
Bond, & Patton, 2004; Koren, Birenbaum Carmeli, Carmeli, & Haslam, 1993;
Leatherdale, Sparks, & Kirsh, 2006). Self-consent was administered at the onset of the
study in order to encourage egalitarian power dynamics. In addition, by considering the
above principles while interacting with the youth, the researcher acquired an equal role
with the youth instead of one of authority.
Summary
This chapter outlined the methodology used to complete this thesis. A case study was
chosen as the method of research of Fusion’s Music Program because of its unique nature
as a popular music education facility in a rural area. By bounding the case study to only
include the Music Program, the researcher was able to understand the impacts of the
Program on the youth participants. The use of a qualitative approach enabled the
researcher to tell the story of the youth who participated in Fusion’s Music Program in
the spring of 2014, providing a rich and deep understanding of the role this popular
Music Program played in the youths’ lives. The qualitative techniques used were
interviews, participant observation, and a validation focus group. Through participant
observation, the researcher was able to create the basis of his research. More specifically,
he observed his surroundings and behaviours of the Program leaders and participants,
immersed himself in the music of the studio by improvising music (jamming) with the
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youth, and collaborated with the participants though informal conversation. The
interviews provided a deeper understanding of the meaning the youth and leaders build in
their lives as they participate in the Program. The focus group validated the researcher’s
thoughts and understandings with regards to the preliminary themes and talking points he
had created from the data. By sorting the data with sticky notes into themes, the data from
the three collection procedures was analyzed. The findings and analysis are ultimately
limited in scale and scope. Finally, the ethical considerations concerning informed
consent, confidentiality, and researching youth were discussed.
Chapter 5: Findings
Introduction
The following chapter provides evidence that Fusion’s Music Program plays a
pivotal role in the lives of rural youth living in Ingersoll. The chapter describes in
narrative form: the challenges the staff endure in their daily lives, the culture of the
program, the opportunity the program provides for the youth, the meaning the youth
ascribe to their time at Fusion’s Music Program, the identity formation the youth
undergo, the process and content of the youth’s learning, the development of the youth
within the categories of the seven ‘C’s (competence, confidence, connection, character,
caring, contribution and creativity), and the Flow experiences of the youth while creating
or listening to music.
Challenges of the Staff
This section describes the daily life of a Program leader at Fusion’s music studio
to portray the challenges the leaders face. A past program leader Bobbie described that he
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used to “arrive at Fusion between 1:30pm - 2:15pm”. At this time, the leader was
responsible for “cleaning the studio … preparing lesson plans … and preparing the music
studio” so that the youth can play the available instruments. If a recording session is
scheduled, the recording equipment needs to be set up so that audio recordings are
optimal for later production. Observations of the current leaders corroborated this
information provided by Bobbie. During the researchers data collection period the Youth
entered the Music Program starting at 2:30pm after Fusion opens. Available activities
include music lessons (both instrumental and vocal), recording and open jam. The Music
Program runs from Monday – Thursday from 2:30pm - 9pm.
During the first day of the visit the staff members who organize the activities
within the Music Program discussed the challenge they faced due to the many activity
options and the limited space the program provides. The following is a summary of that
initial discussion. The studio has three rooms. The first room is large and used for,
‘jamming’, music lessons, instrumental recording and practicing. As this room cannot
accommodate anymore than one activity at a time, it impossible for all the activities to
occur at the same time. The second room is a vocal booth strictly used for recording
singing and radio commercials. The third room is a recording suite, which is also often
used for multiple activities including listening, music production and music lessons.
Having only two useable rooms to support a great number of programming options
creates difficulties for the staff members as balancing all the activities are nearly
impossible. Additionally having no provision of practice rooms for the youth leads to the
open jam period usually becoming a cacophony as youth use the large room to practice
different music.
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During recording sessions and music lessons the studio is often closed to other
youth, unless permission is given by the student for others to be in the room. The youth
often do want privacy during their lessons. Youth at Fusion are often shy about their
musical ability. Several of the youth who were interviewed voiced that they were self
conscious while singing in front of people. Ron stated that:
You start feeling a little less comfortable and more on the nervous side [when]
there is a bunch of other people in there, it’s kind of like oh shit, I might fuck this
up or they might think it’s a joke.
This shy behaviour often prevented youth from playing in concerts put on by Fusion.
Program leaders wanting to arrange concerts so that the youth could publically display
their talents were often disappointed by the low turn out. The leaders found that
attempting to get the youth to play and sing in front of others challenging. Harry
expressed his frustration stating:
They again are really hard to organize because they are here hit or miss. A lot of
the people I teach lessons to are quite introverted actually… Some of them are
just really shy and they have never been asked to play for other people. There is
almost this substantial opening up process with me. Once we do that then we
have this comfort level and I will ask them why don't you play at the coffee house
coming up or something and they are just like ‘no not a chance’.
Concerts at Fusion were deemed unsuccessful as willing participants were difficult to
find. Therefore, youth had little opportunity to perform at Fusion. Combating the shy
nature of the youth at Fusion’s Music Program is challenging for the leaders.
Fusion’s Music Program is part of a drop-in youth centre. The nature of a drop-in
centre created challenges for the staff members. The leaders reported a lack of
accountability from the youth who frequent the youth centre on drop-in basis. This was
evidenced by a lack of consistency towards attendance to lessons, a lack of discipline
while attending their lesson, youth not practicing between lessons, and youth quitting
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lessons after only a few months. The leaders described three major reasons for the lack of
accountability from the youth whom attend the drop-in centre: lack of financial value
associated with music lessons, too many different programs available and lack of novelty
associated with the after school program. A previous Program leader, Bobby,
hypothesized that, “The youth feel as though free lessons have little worth [in their lives
as] there is no financial value associated with free music lessons”. With no financial
value associated with the lessons, the accountability to practice decreases resulting in a
lower attendance to the music lessons. However, Harry believed there was an
“expectation to attend lessons for the privilege of having free lessons”. Harry observed
that there was an increase in attendance consistency after the program became lesson
based. However, he still found it difficult to attract the youth to the Music Program, even
if they attended other areas of Fusion on a daily basis. Harry observed that “70%, just
come and take a lesson and go home … are more consistent” while “harder ones to keep,
[are] the ones who actually use Fusion all the time. It is funny”
A lack of attendance may also be due to the youth participating in other activities
at Fusion. I remember talking to Luke about this issue. He said that:
It gets frustrating, I’m constantly on the radio with other leaders tracking down
youth for their lessons … they are usually participating in other programmes or
just hanging out in the lounge … sometimes they just don’t come.
This quote speaks to youth’s value structure toward the activities at Fusion. Sometimes
youth prefer to hang out with friends or do something different than attend their set music
lessons. When the youth miss lessons, the leaders become frustrated as lesson planning is
wasted. As a solution, the leaders spend less time planning the lessons in order to
maximize other activities in the Music Program. The instructors started to record the
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youth’s progress in order to present a visual form of accountability and progression.
Lesson plans now are mostly youth driven. The first five minutes of each lesson involves
a question and answer period in which the learning objectives of the student are
discovered. The leader then improvises a lesson depending on these objectives.
Variability in participation in the music program by the drop-in-youth may also be
due to the need for people to discover new things. Harry discussed his belief that the
novelty of the music studio lessens after sustained participation,
[The youth] have exhausted their interest in that person. You know how kids are.
It is like I am interested in you for five minutes and if you don't continue to like
blow my mind then I'm going to leave. Once Luke came it was like ‘ooh!’
He went on to discuss that Luke, a new Program leader, coming to the program created a
new surge of participation. Harry stated that “there was huge interest; he was the new
guy.” Youth frequenting Fusion exhibit interest in new things or people, but become
bored over time with consistency in the Music Program. Harry and Luke found this
challenging as the youth who used Fusion as a drop-in centre would become inconsistent
in attendance.
It was observed that drop-in youth favoured listening to music and ‘hanging out’
rather than playing and recording music. Adapting to both the youth who prefer
programming and to those who prefer drop-in style activities poses a challenge for the
leaders. Adapting to the difference in preference requires the leaders to move seamlessly
from the role of a teacher to that of a supervisor or chaperone. This change of role
requires the leaders to change their value structure of certain musical activities. For
musicians and composers, listening to music is often valued as a tool for learning
necessary skills. Therefore, listening to music is often analytical for professional
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musicians. Listening to music for enjoyment is often regarded as a waste to these types of
musicians. This challenged both leaders as they value playing and analyzing music over
listening for enjoyment. During a discussion about the music program structure and
relative merits of the interviews Luke stated, “Some youth just listen to music … I don’t
know if it’s worth interviewing them.” Harry corroborated this sediment during the same
conversation with a nod of agreement, showing a leader bias towards youth not just
listening to music. Even with this bias the leaders see a value in the activity of listening,
as it encourages communication between the youth and the leaders. Harry saw a “soft
skill kind of development where they are learning to communicate or just hang out with
someone older.” Finding the balance between programming (lessons and recording) and
open time (listening and open jam) was difficult.
As a solution to the above challenges with regards to the limited space, drop-in
nature of the program and the lack of motivation the youth exhibited, the program leaders
scheduled activities into different times of the day and week. For example, as of April
2014, one-on-one voice or instrumental lessons are scheduled from Monday to
Wednesday. On Thursday, the youth are given the opportunity to record music. On
Saturdays the music room is rarely open, as there are no lessons or recording activities
scheduled and the music leader is often required to supervise other parts of Fusion. The
music room is used for open jamming, practice and listening if no other activities are
scheduled and the studio is open. This solution prioritized time for lessons and recording
over group jamming, practicing instruments and listening to music.
The personal challenges for leaders were seen over time. The leader who is
currently working at Fusion, Luke, at the time of the data collection had only been
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working at Fusion for 6 months. Luke reported only one personal challenge. He found it
difficult evaluating the students’ skill level when the youth started at the program.
“Figuring out where they are, that is the hardest part.” Luke reported that he had “not
done a lot of teaching before he came here.” As an inexperienced teacher being
unfamiliar with evaluation techniques is to be expected. Consequently, offering
professional development may go a long way to alleviating this challenge.
However, Harry and Bobbie worked at Fusion for over a year and reported many
personal challenges related to their job. Harry included working evenings as a major
challenge before changing to part-time work, Harry was required to be at Fusion every
day from roughly 1:00pm until 9:00pm. This changed once Luke arrived at the program,
reducing Harry’s workload. Speaking about the hours, Harry stated:
On a personal level, working evenings is definitely a challenge. Working every
day from one to five and losing every Friday of your life and half of your
Saturday nights, that gets pretty tiring. I don't do that anymore because I am
down to part time, but still every Monday and Wednesday I am here all evening.
It gets a bit tough. It is a good job, but I would definitely like to have dinner at
home.
By working every evening, he could not have dinner with his girlfriend and was often not
home until after 10pm. He missed his girlfriend as result and wished he could spend more
time with her. At the time of the interview, Harry was working only part time at Fusion in
order to spend more time with his girlfriend.
Low pay is a personal challenge leaders face on a daily basis. The result was a lack of
motivation to teach music lessons. During the observation period Harry would often state
that he could “earn money more by teaching private lessons”, and as a result he “lacked
passion” to plan lessons. When effort is placed into planning and then youth want to do
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something different at a lesson or don’t show up, it becomes very frustrating and
reinforces the lack of passion.
Bobbie reported a lack of preparation time for programming and having to cancel
programming time as challenges he faced during his time as the program coordinator. He
also mentioned a corporate atmosphere, a lack of support from management, the
knowledge that he was readily replaceable, and low pay as personal challenges. Bobbie
told a story about how management made it difficult to run rock concerts at Fusion.
Bobbie, in an effort to build a flourishing rock music scene, started to hold weekly
concerts at Fusion. He involved the youth in the promotional stages of the weekly events.
Communication between the bands, the youth, and Bobbie became difficult as
information was often relayed improperly between the involved parties. During each
concert, the crowd would became uncontrollable. During the last concert, Bobbie pulled
the plug to cut the power to end the concert, as the bands would not stop playing after
curfew. Bobbie described the scene as dangerous and rowdy, however no Fusion
management member accompanied Bobbie out of the building to protect him. He stated,
“No one had my back.” The concerts were cancelled after that. Bobbie blamed
management for this lack of support stating: “It’s because they run Fusion like a
business,” implying that a concern for money overrides the development of youth.
Interestingly, Bobbie also described his frustrations working as a government employee.
He was disgruntled at cancelling lessons because he was asked to do something outside
of Fusion, stating, “I felt awful cancelling lessons because (my boss) asked me to be
somewhere else.” He went on to say he thought it was “part of being a employee of the
municipality … when there was a need for a sound tech, I was the cheapest option so they
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asked me.” Unfortunately, Bobbie’s experience at Fusion resulted in him quitting. When
asked about his experience at Fusion he stated, “Well I am no longer in youth work, that
should tell you something.” He described the above stories as reasons for his departure
from both Fusion and working with youth. Harry and Luke were also frustrated about
having to cancel lessons for similar reasons as stated by Bobbie. The researcher observed
their frustrations when their lessons were cancelled as they were told to supervise other
programs at Fusion.
It appeared evident through interviews and observations that the longer a leader
stayed at Fusion the higher the frustration level climbed due to these challenges. Job
satisfaction is eventually outweighed by the stresses of working with inconsistent youth,
in a job with little pay, long hours in the evening and working in a management structure
that pulls a person away from their core job description. This may contribute to a high
turn over rate of the music program leader position at Fusion.
The Culture of the Fusion Music Program
The interviews of the youth and leaders provide evidence that the culture at
Fusion’s Music Program is inspiring, authentic, inclusive, supportive, and equitable.
These key aspects of the culture will be described in detail through this section.
Program leaders, the nature of Fusion as a whole, and the participants create the
culture at Fusion’s Music Program. The Program leaders in charge of the Music Program
set a culture that inspire the youth to become great musicians by playing to the best of
their abilities and showing youth the potential of musicianship. The youth describe the
musical skills of the Program leaders as “crazy” and “awesome”. The live musicals
performed by the leaders at Fusion are compelling by nature, as the technique, emotion
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and artistry that is often showcased ‘wows’ the youth. The youth then aspire to perform
in a similar manner. The Program leaders also create a ‘hard-core’ music culture in the
program. The culture is produced by the authentic nature of the Program leaders and is
legitimized through their playing and tutelage of popular music. During the focus group
John talked about his experience learning from experienced musicians:
It is really fantastic how people with college or university degrees who have been
in the industry and play all the time… have their own personal sounds. [Harry]
and [Luke] have a ton of differences in their playing and I think that kind of
makes the program even better. Having two teachers and having the ability to
play [in] any variety … kind of opens up a lot of creative opportunities for you.
The culture of the program is attributed to the leaders musical pedigree, which enables
them to attract and engage youth. The program and leaders are therefore perceived as
“cool” by new youth attendees as seen by researcher observations.
The culture of the program is also created by its physical and aesthetic
characteristics. The nature of the studio is welcoming. This feeling was described as
“[feeling] like home, its very welcoming; warm”. Characteristics of the music studio are
contributing factors to the inclusive feeling described above. Harry described the
experience of the Music Program:
We've got a cozy couch and we've got YouTube. Sometimes that ends up being
the bulk of the work is just hanging out with kids and watching TV. Some kids
love that.
This feeling of relaxedness is helped by the comfortable couch and relaxed nature of the
leaders. The Music Program provides structure for socialization through the provision of
YouTube and a couch. As a program centered in music, a common interest in pop music
provides a support structure for socialization: “All [an interest in music] really is, is a
structure point in the relationship with somebody, a friendship.” Stanley went on say:
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It is the support beam in a house. If that beam falls everything kind of goes with
it. If your relationship starts with that one thing and suddenly one person loses
interest in music you kind of feel like ‘oh that is kind of how I met you’.
Stanley’s description shows how a common interest in music enables them to have
structure points for conversation. Music becomes a “common watering hole” as described
by Bobbie, which creates an environment which encourages conversation between youth
and encourages them to teach each other new things. Easy conversation is thereby created
and helps build this relaxed and comfortable feeling, which is reflected in the “cool”
culture at Fusion Music Program.
A positive social atmosphere is part of the culture at Fusion. The program is
inclusive. From the beginning, upon the insistence of the first Program leader, the
participants were encouraged to uphold the values of equity, openness and
supportiveness. The older participants who lead by example have passed down the values
of the first leader, Bobbie who stated that, “all the youth who entered the music studio
were equal. It didn’t matter if you’re popular at school or if you have money. All that was
left at the door.” Bobbie added that “the program was open to anybody, we even had
autistic kids do lessons.” The equitable and open culture is now largely self-governed. No
negative language is allowed at Fusion. No gossip, put downs, racist rhetoric, sexist slurs
or classist comments are used as a sign of respect. Harry noted that,
It is also a good social environment. I find that in the amount of time I have been
here I don't think I have heard once people making fun of each other for how they
play. I honestly can't think of an example where that has happened. It has been
really supportive and that has been good to see.
The supportive nature of Fusion Music Program enables youth to create a positive social
atmosphere, which is open to all. When asked about the exclusivity that sometimes
becomes prevalent in music culture the youth participants affirmed that “anyone with an
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interest in music is welcome.” The youth, with the support of the leaders, practice
equality by leaving the social status of the individuals outside the walls of the studio and
by treating everyone and the equipment with respect. By building a positive social
environment, the participants create a culture of equity, support, and openness at Fusion
Music Program.
The impact of the culture at Fusion Music Program on the youth will be discussed
in further sections.
Opportunity
Fusion’s Music Program offers the youth participants the opportunity to learn
about pop music, from one-on-one lessons in various instruments and vocals to
production and recording of music. The youth in the program recognize that the music
facilities and teaching style at Fusion Music Program is an opportunity uniquely available
in Ingersoll. In addition, the safe social environment allows youth to freely explore music
and socialize with friends.
Learning How to Play and Sing ‘Popular’ Music
Given the capacities of popular music tutelage at Fusion Music Program, youth in
the Ingersoll have a rare learning opportunity. It is evident that the youth interested in
learning popular music take advantage of this opportunity. For example, Stanley spoke of
the differences of learning music at Fusion rather than at school.
For one at school there are a lot more people in the room and so you kind of feel
more stress behind it. At school I don't have as much freedom of what I want to
learn because everyone is learning it.
Many of the youth that participate at Fusion have been involved in music through school;
for instance, many play violin, bass, guitar, or sing in choirs. However, having the
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opportunity to have the one-on-one lessons offered at Fusion is advantageous as it allows
for increased guidance while learning with a lack of pressure. When Lisa was asked
about the differences between Fusion and school, she explained, “For school it is like you
get marked on it … you have to do your best. [At Fusion] it is kind of like you can mess
up … because you can redo it.” Youth have also expressed that they are able to play the
instruments and songs they prefer at Fusion. Paul is able to play songs from his favourite
band: “It’s cool because I get to play songs I like … I get to learn the guitar solos from
‘Kiss’ … my favourite band”. The youth usually prefer to play songs in the genres of
‘popular’ music such as country, rock, metal and alternative music but also get to play
21st century classical music they do not get to play in school. Stanley went on to discuss
his experience of learning ‘The Hobbit Song’ from the movie Lord of the Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring at Fusion as “trilling, I was happy to learn it.” These genres are
not normally offered through school programs, where music is normally classical or
concert band based in nature. Fusion Music Program offers training in five instruments of
popular music (guitar, electric bass, drums, piano and vocals), thereby providing the
perfect opportunity for youth explore different genres from in-school programs.
Learning In a Free Manner
The learning structure at the Music Program offers the participants the
opportunity to choose what they would like to learn and, to a certain degree, how they
would like to learn. Harry described the structure of the lessons,
We do one-on-one lessons and so I take the youth and sort of figure out what they
want to do. We start off the lessons by figuring out what instrument they want to
be on of course and then what their favourite type of music is and then figuring
out what they want to accomplish with learning. So instead of just handing them
an outline and saying here is what we will do in the first year, we pretty much go
lesson by lesson geared to what they want to do. Some days they'll show up and
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I'll have something planned, but I'll say what do you want to do today? They'll
say, ‘oh I found this cool song I want to learn’ and show [it to me]. Then I will
take what I've learned or what I have planned and put that on the back burner and
teach them what they want to learn and try to implement as much knowledge and
insight as I can into what they are doing.
While they are saying ‘oh this song sounds cool’, I will tell them why the
guitar part sounds the way it does or what technique that is called, thus
implementing the theory as you go, but gearing it more towards their direction.
That way it keeps it interesting for them.
Youth-driven learning is a rarity in the daily lives of these youth, as the schools learning
structure is largely instructor and curriculum driven. It was observed that the majority of
the youth flourished when given the freedom to choose their own learning objectives.
Recording and Production
The recording studio within the Music Program offers youth the opportunity to
record and produce music. The music recorded in the studio can take two different forms.
First, youth are offered the opportunity to cover a popular music song in a Karaoke style.
The song’s instrumentals are used from an online source such as YouTube. The youth
then record their vocals on top of the song’s instrumentals. This method of recording is
quick, providing the youth with immediate feedback for learning purposes. This process
is also used for youth learning to sing their favourite songs. “I come in here and asked to
record a song. I just like to sing and it makes me feel really good when I sing.” Lindsay
said when asked about recording songs at Fusions Music Program. Lindsay is the
prototypical drop-in youth who prefers this method, as they are looking for something
quick and easy to learn while at Fusion. Lindsay says she “likes to sing a lot and so I
come in and book an appointment and record some songs.” Given Lindsay’s observed
preference to sing songs of popular music artists, it is most effective to use this Karaoke
recording style. The second type of recording conducted at the Music Program requires
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the full use of instrumentals and editing functions available. Each instrument and the
vocals are recorded separately. The audio files are finally mixed together and mastered
digitally by the Program leader together with interested youth. The process is more
intricate and takes more time, therefore it was observed that the youth interested in
composing and instrumental lessons frequented this method. Ron spoke of his preference
to record music when he attends Fusion.
Currently, usually I jam with my friend [John], and [Harry], and [Luke],
whoever’s in, playing new stuff, learning some new stuff, just kind of doing
whatever, sometimes a little bit of recording, sometimes a little bit of everything.
He later spoke of his dislike of “manufacturing” music when using the Karaoke style of
recording liking it to “absolutely nothing”. The participants find enjoyment in recording,
either by developing artistic skills through the creation of new music or by producing
covers of their favourite songs.
The studio also provides the opportunity for youth to learn the technical skills of
recording, mixing, and producing music at an industry standard studio. Youth find self
satisfaction when producing music by mixing audio tracks previously recorded at Fusion.
For example, Charles, a 16 year old who attends recording and audio mixing lessons at
Fusion believes that the ability to learn to mix audio tracks is “fun”. Generally, it was
found that the youth showed gratitude for the opportunity to learn to use and be exposed
to a professional recording studio. When asked about the array of activities, John said “it
is something different. I had never used or been around any kind of recording technology
before. So being around that and getting used to it , that is pretty cool.” Many youth also
said that the array of activities was a reason for why they were drawn into the Music
Program to begin with.
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Opportunity to Socialize
Finally, the youth take the opportunity to socialize while attending Fusion Music
Program. By offering time to listen to music, youth are able to ‘hang out’ with friends.
The youth are able to listen to music they want, as loud as they like and from a set of
professional grade speakers, which is rare. During the observation period, the youth
would often listen to music in groups, blaring it loudly. At times, the youth would talk to
one another about music, video games, YouTube videos and other interests. The youth
took advantage of the “cozy couch” mentioned by Harry and the “chaperoned
communication” that occurs at Fusion. During the interview with Harry,
Sometimes we'll go browsing through the internet and a person will be like hey
check this out. Look what I found. It is sort of like that chaperone
communication skill. I hate to use that word, but it is like there is never any
issues because there is a staff member right here and so they can communicate
with each other with a lot of confidence.
Communicating with an adult supervisor present provided the youth with an opportunity
to learn how to communicate with decreased risk of feeling put down.
Through open jam, Fusion Music Program also offers the youth a place to play
together. Playing together in free form is not regularly offered at school. By providing a
place to “jam out and talk with friends” according to Lindsay, the Music Program enables
the youth to freely challenge themselves through music. By jamming with friends the
youth were required to communicate amongst themselves to create music. It was
observed that youth would often socialize during and after the jam session to indicate key
changes and rhythm alterations. The provision of the open jam time and the supplied
instruments provide youth the opportunity to socialize with their peers in many different
ways.
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Through the provision of an array of activities including a professional music
studio and music lessons, Fusion offers youth the ability to learn musical instruments and
socialize. By offering youth-driven one-on-one music lessons in pop music, Fusion gives
youth a chance to play and sing songs from their favourite artist or compose their own
songs. The professional music studio offers youth the opportunity to record, listen to, and
play music, as well as socialize with friends. The impact of the above opportunities will
be discussed further in the following sections.
Meaning and Identity
The youth participants believe that their time spent at the Music Program is
essential. Through the opportunities afforded them through participation in the program,
the youth derive meaning in their daily lives. Participation is meaningful because of the
role music plays in the youths’ exploration of their personal identities. The meaning of
living with a communal identity is discovered by the youth through the building of
relationships, as Fusion includes each youth in a music based community. The Music
Program is, therefore, a place where youth build meaning through their participation,
music exploration, and relationships.
Meaning in their daily lives
Participation in the Music Program allows youth to find meaning in their daily
lives in a variety of ways including: playing instruments, singing, recording and
producing music, socializing over common interests, making friends, and engaging in
activities. The following paragraphs provide evidence how the youth find meaning in
their daily lives through participation.
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For various reasons the eleven youth interviewed reported having “fun” while at
Fusion. Enjoyment in an activity often leads to passion, enabling them to find meaning in
their music and lives through being at the Centre. The youth enjoy playing and learning
instruments, singing and recording in multiple forms. David discussed having fun at
Fusion,
I'd say I have fun all the time. The times where I have the most fun I guess would
be, I mean technical skills are useful and the product is rewarding, but I don't
think anyone has ever said, ‘oh yeah we are learning theory on modes’. I would
say the most fun I have is when we are jamming or when we are learning a song
that is challenging and it is something especially relevant. That is when it is really
fun, but all the time we have fun in this program.
At certain times, youth have the opportunity to play and sing in a free format in the studio
space as a ‘jam session’ or in a more structured mode during lessons. Through the
different opportunities available, youth found that they were able to find both fun and
passion for different musical forms: playing, singing, and recoding. Lindsay said that “It
is actually pretty fun because I get to learn about different instruments … how they use it
and stuff like that.” Youth found meaning in being challenged and having an opportunity
to learn. David relished the opportunity to learn new skills,
[Learning pentatonic scales] is meaningful because it is helpful and I use it a lot
and it really adds another dimension to my guitar playing .You can write stuff and
I do like to write things. If you can't solo your songs are kind of all going to be
like chords. That is good to some extent, but it is boring.
It is evident that by providing an array of learning activities, Fusion Music Program
offers youth the ability to enjoy life, thereby helping them develop passion and enabling
them to derive meaning in their lives.
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Identity Exploration
At Fusion, participation in musical activities allowed youth to explore their
personal identities. The youth explored both their own and each other’s distinctiveness
through musical expression, by developing a personal musical style, and by learning new
music. This is evidenced by the story of two participants in particular. For John and Lisa
expression had become an essential part of their identity, as it freed them from
convention.
John found music allowed him to express empathy. In creating music as an
expression of self and others, he stated that music was an expression of his feelings,
[I was] able to take what is inside of you and give it to other people. I feel like it
is kind of magical. It is like here have this. Let this become a part of you. Let
me become part of you.
In understanding that musical expression can communicate emotion that is both
communal and personal, John and other youth were able to look inwards to the depths of
their hearts, while being aware of the influences of the audience. John really expressed
those feelings in his music. This process resulted in a form of expression that is intimate
and deeply personal, yet is a reflection of how he sees his audience influences. The
results achieved by John were evident in his rendition of the song Zombies by The
Cranberries. This song is harsh and hard, but John created the opposite by composing an
intricate acoustic version. Keeping the original harshness in the song while creating a
deeply personal song by using a falsetto voice revealed the new meaning that John was
attempting to capture. This example displays the exploration of ones’ identity achieved
by the youth at the Music Program as it takes an understanding of the musician’s
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emotions as well as knowledge of how said expressions affects others to understand and
use these to great advantage when creating new music.
In comparison, Lisa enjoyed the freedom in musical expression. Feeling
expression has no rules: Lisa created a cover of Kim Taylor’s song “Build You Up” that
was much different than the original. With an addition of a grandiose sounding ending
using strings and a voice overlay (made possible by the professional studio present at
Fusion), she created a new feel for the song. She intended her version to express the
hopefulness and tension felt when a person tackles adversity. “It is like knowing that
someone else has been down a hard road in their life and they are trying to help other
people come out of where they have been.” Through their musical explorations both these
participants demonstrated the power that music has as it enables youth to express
empathy and learn about themselves through a reflective process.
Through exploration, the youth were able to develop musical styles unique to
each of them. These styles are often conceived as musical identities (Samson, 2012). The
positive cultural environment at Fusion allows the youth to create an unique musical
identity. The staff and participants encourage each other to explore multiple genres. As
the musicians at Fusion grow in skills, they often combine multiple genres to create their
own style. Ron, a participant of Fusion for the past five years, described how he now
plays several different genres on the typical four rock band instruments and with vocals.
It’s a lot of everything. Vocally it is literally everything—70’s disco, 80’s pop,
90’s boy bands, and then sometimes it’s rap, sometimes it’s like proper choral
music. On the guitar it’s anything from classic 70’s and 80’s rock to modern pop
music to everything Broadway-related. You’ve got to do a lot of orchestra stuff.
On the bass it’s a lot of 40’s, 50’s, swing, and jazz, 70’s and 80’s disco and pop
bass lines, those are a lot of fun, and drums it’s pretty much everything. There’s
nothing really common between anything I can play really, just whatever I feel
like at the time.
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He described that this vast array of musical backgrounds helps his musicianship, as he
can move from genre to genre easily and meld genres together to create a specific vibe.
John also demonstrates the importance of proficiency in multiple genres in creation of a
unique style. He endeavours to create a sound that is unique but also pleasing when
composing or performing music:
I am really trying to make music that is easy to listen to, but sometimes it is hard
to be creative and use interesting chord phrasings or interesting melodies and
make it sound good. I am really trying to find the medium there where you can
have something that is unique and something that is cool, but also marketable and
able to be listened to.
The teenager stressed the need to further explore his music to achieve the musical identity
he wants to portray in his compositions, “I just feel like it is about never stopping what
you are doing and trying to explore deeper into things.”
The ability to create a distinctive musical identity through music exploration is
portrayed by Lisa. Creation of a unique voice was important to Lisa in order to be
identified quickly during her songs. She mentioned that a distinguishing musical style is a
trait of many popular music stars. During the interview she said “Fusion helped me find
the type of music that I want do … I am really into R&B and Rock & Roll. I like sounds
like Whitney Houston, Maria Carry and Christina Aguilera … You know them right
away when you hear them.” Lisa explores the music of several pop stars. In particular,
she identified with the music of Christina Aguilera. Christina’s blend of R&B, Rock and
Latin music creates a form of popular music that the teenager aspires to encompass in her
singing and song writing. “I try to sing like Christina, I love her voice” the teenager noted
during a recoding session at Fusion’s Music Program. These stories provide examples of
youth exploring their musical identities in order to create unique music.
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Exploring the Future
During their participation in activities at Fusion Music Program, youth explored
futures that emerge from being trained in music. A conflict emerges within the youth
while exploring their future in music: career versus hobby. The conflict was observed to
manifest in different ways within the youth. The more experienced youth seemed to have
a disillusioned view of their future. These youth understood the perils of the music
industry; that only a few garner stardom. These youth pursue music as a hobby or
discipline while debating the worth of enduring the hardship and the limited possibility of
success in a music career as a musician, producer, or composer.
“Music… is still fun now there are discipline and rules,” John said. Of the more
experienced youths, some have chosen a career in music and are planning to attend
university for various music programs. John said during the researcher’s observation
period, “I want to go to university and study music.” Others, such as Charles chose not to
pursue a career in music but to enjoy it as a leisure pursuit instead. He explained, “I don’t
think I want to do it as a job but as a hobby”.
The less experienced youth whom still manifest aspirations of stardom, struggle
between music as a fun activity in their daily life versus music as a medium for the
potential of fame and fortune. Lindsay said, “I want to be a singer,” however she attends
the program because “it is fun and I get to hang out with friends.” She had not realized
the hard work necessary for someone to become a professional singer. For the teenagers
at Fusion’s Music Program, the exploration of their personal identities is a struggle. It
appears that over time, the experience at the program enables them to make decisions that
help contribute to future satisfaction.
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Finding meaning in relationships
The following stories from the staff and participants portray the meaning the
youth and staff place on the relationships that are built within the Music Program. Ron, a
participant who has been a member since the Music Program started, told a story about
his life at Fusion a few years ago,
The first thing that comes to my mind is [Bobbie’s] last day—he was definitely
my favourite music staff person—his last day we basically just came in and
jammed for four or five hours straight, didn’t stop and then just kind of goofed off
for the last hour and just kind of threw pies at each other; that was fun.
When Bobbie was leaving, the participants of the program held a celebration to
commemorate the leaders time at Fusion. Ron described that during the jam he began to
understand that he had made friends in Ingersoll,
It was the first time I really realized that I had actually made friends in Ingersoll
because I had never gone to school here; I’ve always gone to school in London or
Woodstock. So it was like the first real time that I realized I had actually made
friends here.
Finding friends in his hometown was difficult for him as he attended a school outside of
Ingersoll. Ron also described how he enjoyed playing with John, Harry and Luke. He
valued these friendships describing them and his past friends as “cool or chill.” The other
participants at the program valued their friendships with each other and the leaders as
well describing them in the same light as Ron. Stanley while talking about Luke said, “If
I am having a bad week I can always look forward to chilling at Fusion, and [playing] the
piano and guitar, talking to Luke or the friends who come in.”
The provision of a space that allows friendships to be built has ultimately led to
the creation of a community. It is evident that the youth feel that they belong and are
accepted at the studio. Stanley believed that Fusion was “ like a second home”. The youth
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all expressed this same sentiment when asked about coming to Fusion Music Program
during the focus group. “It is the home feeling and the warmth, like you know the place a
lot. You've been there and you have a lot of memories there.”
Harry observed that a new leader generally attracts more youth. He believed that
the youth were curious about the new leaders and therefore moved to the new leader’s
program. However, youth do create bonds with particular leaders within Fusion. Within
the Music Program, Luke and Harry attract different youth as pupils. John spoke about
his relationship with Harry, “He has helped me out a lot of times. He and another leader
at Fusion, [Victor] and I think it is pretty extraordinary to get that at a youth center. I
never thought I would.”
Stanley on the other hand preferred to talk to Luke about what it’s like to be in a
band, “We talked about managing a band… there is that marketing side to it, as well as
the politics side, plus the relationship side,” Stanley went on to describe the nature of the
relationship, “He is my teacher even if [I] see him more as a friend.” The personalities of
Luke and Harry and their individual tastes are quite different. The youth at Fusion stick to
the leader that suits their personality and taste. The consequences of the relationships the
youth build at Fusion’s Music Program will be discussed in the following sections
pertaining to learning and the youths’ development of the ability to connect with others.
Learning
Mastering the skills and techniques used in both musical performance and
composition of music drives learning at Fusion Music Program. Therefore the learning
structures used by leaders are mixed depending on the participants’ needs and their
motivation with regards to what they see their musical education involving. Peer-peer
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learning often occurs during open jam and while listening to music as a group. It is
experiential in nature, compared to the leader-youth learning structure which largely
occurs during one-on-one lessons. During this time the Program leader takes the role of
an instructor or music teacher and the youth becomes a student of music. Learning is
aided by the building of strong relationships with the youth. The leaders build
relationships in different ways but both leaders achieve in helping youth learn through
their relationship. Barriers to learning music and developing social skills are related to the
youth being shy and unmotivated.
Methods and structures of learning used at Fusion’s Music Program
The structures and methods of learning at Fusion Music Program are
distinguished into two categories: peer-to-peer learning and program leader-youth
learning.
Peer-to-peer learning
Peer-to-peer learning was seen clearly between the youth at the music program.
Youth usually learn from peers during open jam time. Youth reported learning parts of
their technique from other youth through instruction when attending open jam. Ron
talked about learning from John and vice versa, “I taught him quite a bit of stuff like a
typical swing jazz-style bass line and he showed me more classical double-bass type
stuff.” The youth also learned through the experience of playing in a group at open jam.
The researcher identified three methods that directly lead to learning. Playing and singing
in a group while actively listening to oneself and the music around them helped each
participant learn something new. David stated that he was always listening to and
analyzing the music to find out how his contributions ‘fit’ into the music being played,
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It can be pretty awesome sometimes just playing … in a group of people. You are
harmonizing with one another and you are staying on time. It is hard to play a
crescendo at the end of a piece without feeling intense to some degree unless you
just hate the song.
Secondly, youth learn through listening to improvisations of others, and how the
improvisation melds or disrupts the music being played. John exemplified how youth
learn by listening to each others’ improvisations. As Ron stated, John learnt from Ron
while they played together. John spoke of such learning
I really enjoy the fact that we can come together as friends and learn from each
other, learn from each others mistakes and triumphs, talk to each other and get
wisdom from each other. I feel like that is a very important aspect as a musician
and as someone who is learning anything at all and especially through music.
Thirdly, it was observed that the youth learned from one another through
discussions held after playing in groups. The youth discussed the ‘jam session’ and
provided constructive criticism to each other. The content of constructive comments
related to the improvement of the dynamics in the music. Finally, the youth learned from
each other when they listened to music in the studio. Youth would learn through a ‘show
and tell’ method. Youth would show others their favourite bands music by playing videos
on YouTube. While listening to the songs, youth would often discuss the music style, the
instruments and vocals, why they liked the particular song, as well as tell stories
regarding the band. These stories would include experiences of seeing the band live, the
techniques the band used that enables the creation of a specific rift played and stories
about the band members’ lives. It was evident that youth not only learned about music
but communication skills needed to describe their ideas were developed so that a
forward-moving conversation could take place.
Program leader-youth learning
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Youth expressed that they learned instruments, singing, recording, life skills, music
industry knowledge, audio equipment set up, production, editing, and music theory from
Program leaders. The instruments the youth learned to play included drums, guitar, piano
and electric bass. Special interest in learning drums was noted by the majority of youth
who were interviewed. Tom stated, “I started [lessons] right away because I have wanted
to learn drums and my friends wanted me to play.” The teenagers reported that they
learned drums at Fusion and emphasized that they did not have the opportunity to learn
drums outside of the Music Program, given restrictions at school and at home. When
asked if he would have learned drums without Fusion Ron explained, “Probably not. I’d
almost go as far as say definitely not because I just don’t have the resources accessible.”
Learning percussion in high school is often given to only one student per class.
Financial and noise level restrictions can often restrict young people from learning drums
at home. Youth also expressed that learning about audio equipment and recording was an
interesting aspect of Fusion that they wouldn’t have been able to experience otherwise.
Learning about audio equipment enabled the youth to participate in preparation and
operation of events held by Fusion such as the Haunted House. When asked about his
contributions to Fusion, John said,
I worked with the Haunted House. The Haunted House is an event we do every
year. I've worked on some of the sound stuff and worked with some sound
effects, which is cool.
The participants learn life skills in the Music Program that help them in their everyday
life, including meeting new people in avenues they may not have been able to in the past
based on new skills such as the operation of recording equipment as exemplified above.
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Charles spoke of getting to John while learning about recording, “He would sit in on my
recording lessons and hang out … we would learn together, that’s how we became
friends.” In the areas of building relationships with others and finding employment in
music, the program enlightens the participants about the ups and downs. Luke talked
about this in his interview,
I will sit with people a lot of times and if they are planning on sticking with music
for their whole lives as a career then we will talk a lot about that and strategies …
We are talking about what they will be doing with music as they go about their
lives and things like that.
The teaching methods used by leaders include the use of exploratory discovery during
non-programming time and the use of structured instruction during lessons based in
demonstration and repetition.
During non-programming time (open jam), youth are given time to experiment
with different instruments and musical techniques creating improvisational music. During
open jam leaders often play with the youth to teach new techniques and help solidify
certain skills the youth are learning consciously or passively. The leaders inspire youth by
playing complicated rifts and sections of music to help inspire the youth and push them to
new heights. Tom described the first time he played with Luke:
One day I heard him playing guitar. I was playing drums and then he just walked
in and started playing. He was playing guitar. He was shredding on the guitar
and then I just decided to play along with the beat. That is pretty much how all of
that started with our friendship or at least how we got to know each other. I
started playing the drums and then he started saying, no in seven [time signature]
you should try doing this.
This speaks to how the leaders are trying to integrate themselves and act on the same
level as the youth to become people the youth trust and can open up to, as well as learn
things from.
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Youth constantly ask questions about the music in order to improve and the
leaders instruct in the techniques needed to play complicated phases of music. Stanley
remembers that “It all started with a conversation and asking one question, can you teach
me?” to Luke and their relationship grew from there. “I always ask a lot of questions to
understand something and so it just kind of naturally works for me,” said Stanley
referring to learning techniques and how he attempts to improve himself and his music.
On multiple occasions it was observed that the leaders would encourage youth to
experiment with the phases and techniques in new ways and incorporate these into the
music in different ways.
The teaching methods used in private lessons are designed specifically around the
interests and strengths of the individual student. These lessons are highly differentiated as
each student has different needs and interests, “Every kid has a different need and they
learn differently and so I try to cater to what they are obviously needing.” Methods range
from the use of a structured scaffold intended to build the students prior skills onto as
well as the use of exploratory methods to encourage creativity. In general, the methods
tend to be based on skill level. For example, it was observed that youth at beginner levels
tend to use a book that provides a scaffold for learning the necessary basic skills for
performance of songs (usually popular music). Stanley mentioned that “When I dropped
guitar to pick up piano … I had to start from the beginning of the book and catch up. I
was learning all the basics”. In some cases, the leader teaches the youth without a book,
as Luke explained,
I started out teaching to the book and that quickly changed after meeting more
people with different needs. I think the first two or three lessons I started out with
were all right from the book. Those kids are still to the book for the most part and
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then as others come on they are at completely different places. They learn
differently and that is how I have changed.
This often occurs when the leader is teaching an instrument they are comfortable playing
themselves (guitar for both leaders currently) or when the books available for teaching
the student are judged to be inadequate, as is the case for learning the drums. In these
cases, the leaders create their own method for teaching interested youth.
Demonstration is a major teaching method used by the leaders during private
lessons for the intermediate to advanced students. The demonstration process roughly
follows this routine:
1) The leader plays the song on YouTube. Both the leader and youth listen to the song.
The leader informs the youth of the chord progression in the song. If the youth is
interested in figuring out the chord progression on their own, the leader will instead teach
techniques on how to hear and differentiate the chords in a song.
2) Leaders demonstrate how to play the chord progression before the youth attempts
playing unless the youth feels comfortable trying without a demonstration.
3) As the youth plays the song, the leader will correct any mistakes on the spot as they
occur.
4) The youth then practices the song or chord progression until achieving in playing the
song correctly and feel as though they have mastered the skills needed.
Harry described the process as well,
A big tool actually is YouTube, not for watching guitar tutorials on how to play
things, but just to play the song. We just put a song up and try to figure it out. I
really encourage people to use their ears as one of the main tools to get people to
be able to lift their own songs, as apposed to having to use tools like tabs and all
that to figure it out. I like to encourage people to be able to sit down and start
playing the song without ever hearing the song before. That is really the goal
where we want to get people.
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For the youth that have acquired and developed the technique of playing by ear
and show interest in furthering their skills, the leaders will teach music theory,
I definitely won't start out teaching technique. There are some people who in time
get the urge to learn that and they have a desire to become more proficient and so
they will ask can we look at some techniques.
First, the scales and chord progressions used in popular music are taught to the youth and
then advanced techniques such as bending notes, fingering hammering, harmonics and
double kicking are taught. In many cases, musical theory and musical techniques are
integrated into teaching intermediate students, as advanced musical knowledge is often
needed to learn and play popular music songs. Harry, above in Opportunity, describes
the frame of mind he uses when planning and teaching a lesson to help the students learn
both what they want, and what they need to know.
Relationships
The relationships the youth build with the leaders is important to learning in the
Music Program. The leaders act as teachers, mentors and as friends to the youth. In
special cases, the leaders become the youth’s role model. John explains his relationship
with Harry: “[Harry] is a great guy and like my dad was never in the picture and so it is
really good to have that male role model.” In general, it was observed that the leaders
build relationships with youth by talking about music, fascinating youth by demonstrating
their prowess in musicianship, providing advice and by exemplifying traits youth look for
in role models.
Luke and Harry build relationships with the youth in different ways. Luke prefers
to talk about music: “I see [talking about the youth’s careers in music] as mentoring …
We are talking about what they will be doing with music as they go about their lives and
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things like that.” He uses a common interest in music to build the relationship. He tells
stories of his life as a producer in South Korea, his experiences of being in a band, and
his taste in music. Luke’s strengths include his story-telling ability, his sense of style and
his interest in multiple forms of music. Luke’s stories speak to the youth because of his
ability to speak about relevant and interesting topics.
His body language, dress, musical identity and language reflect his personality,
portraying softness with power and edge that fascinates the participants. This enables
youth to establish a relationship with him quickly and easily. Interest in multiple forms of
music and the music making process enables Luke to adapt to youths’ music preferences
facilitating the creation of friendships through genuine enthusiasm. Stanley stated that, “I
got fascinated with how [Luke] played guitar and piano and everything and asked him if I
could learn.” Stanley went on to describe how his relationship with Luke developed by
Luke telling stories about “how to manage a band and stuff like that”. By building
relationships in this manner with the youth, Luke assisted the youth in their learning
endeavours through inspiration.
In a similar fashion to Luke, Harry first establishes his relationship with his pupils
by fascinating the youth. Harry demonstrates his musical skills in an effort to inspire the
students. After a relationship is initiated, Harry, unlike Luke, delves deeper into the
problems facing youth in their lives,
A lot of them have opened up about their lives and their personal relationships
and skills. I have probably spent as much time teaching, or should I say
conversing, about social situations as much as I have taught guitar and stuff like
that. So many times they will be like ‘I really like this girl at school. What should
I do? She said she wants to hang out. What do I say?’ Then we'll spend our entire
lesson just talking about that.
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Harry acts as a ‘counsellor’ for a number of the youth; he advises them in what he
believes is proper action. His advice comes from his reflection on his own life as well as
his knowledge of each individual person. Through conversation on issues from music to
love, Harry builds a relationship based on deeper knowledge of one another.
Harry’s major strength is his ability to listen and ask questions that guide the
youth to a solution. His ability to listen enables the creation of very deep relationships.
Charles talked about how his relationship with Harry started “I saw how [Harry] would
talk to [John] … [Harry] was really helpful to [John], I felt that he really cared about him.
After that, I was able to open up to [Harry].” Harry aids youth in the development of
assets and knowledge necessary for a successful life. These include self-confidence,
communication and independence as well as teaching the musical skills necessary for the
mastery of the art form.
Barriers to learning
Barriers to youths’ learning occur at Fusion’s Music Program. Barriers to learning
usually manifest as shy or nervous behaviour. As will be discussed in the section on
Flow, youth reported being nervous about others’ perceptions of their music. Playing or
singing in front of others is often difficult for any student, thereby preventing the youth
from learning how to play in a group and perform for a crowd. Nervousness manifests
even in the most experienced musicians. Ron expressed concerns of what more
experienced musicians thought of his musicianship. Lindsay also talked about her nerves,
“I get nervous when there is a bunch of people in the room when I sing.” She continued
by indicating her growing appreciation for how to perform while nervous:
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I have grown a bit, getting used to people [listening to me sing]; although I am
trying to get used to all the recording stuff. I am trying to get over my fear of
singing in front of people who haven't heard me sing before.
At Fusion’s Music Program, the supportive learning environment helps mitigate the
nerves and shy behaviour. In addition, as the youth become more experienced and
confident, shy behaviour is reduced and nervousness overcome.
Inconsistent motivation to learn music is another barrier. Offering free lessons
may be a contributing factor to lack of motivation. As expressed by Bobbie above in the
section on challenges, the belief that without a financial value associated with the lessons,
youth are not held accountable to consistent attendance may hold credence. The current
Leaders reported suspending youth from lessons after inconsistent attendance or when
they showed a lack of motivation to practice between lessons. The drop-in style of Fusion
could also contribute to this inconsistent motivation. For drop-in youth, Fusion is a place
to hang out and participate in an array of sporting and other activities with their friends.
Harry talked about this in his interview saying:
I think it came from getting discouraged by youth not showing up for their lessons
and stuff like that. Then I started talking with other staff members and they were
like yeah it is kind of the normal thing for a drop-in center. Most of the youth that
I teach now are very punctual and active. They come every week, but I remember
in the beginning stages I would book a song recording session with somebody and
they would be so excited about it. I would spend three hours getting the drum set
up and tuned properly and microphones up and have all the cables run nicely and
the youth wouldn't show up and I was like wow! This kind of sucks. I did all this
work for nothing. I started realizing that it is a drop-in center and so I need to be a
little more relaxed with my approach to things and not so rigid. Maybe involve
the youth in the set up in the first place and wait until they are there.
This reveals that even if youth are attending Fusion they often choose to continue
socializing with friends instead of attending their scheduled lesson at the studio. Lastly,
the leaders found that rigid teaching methods often decreased the motivation of the youth.
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Rigid teaching methods often caused the content of the lessons to be perceived as not
relevant to youth. It also limited the learning structures, which may not suit the student
and would decrease their interest and motivation. Harry remembers that:
I just found that initially when I got started I started coming up with these
documents with some plans and stuff like that. It has taken on so much more of a
relaxed vibe for lessons. For a thirty-minute lesson, if they come in and want [to
learn] guitar, it will be very structured. [Usually] I have an idea ready from the
week before… I will have an idea of what I want to teach them, maybe a couple
of resources listed down. It is like check out this video on YouTube or a video on
my computer or whatever, but yeah it has definitely become more relaxed than it
was at the beginning.
As the leaders perfected teaching, relaxed mentorship and differentiated lesson plans, the
students’ motivation to learn seemed to increase and their motivation to practice and
return to the Music Program consistently.
Evidence of Positive Youth Development at Fusion’s Music Program
The research shown in the literature review, provided evidence of asset
development using the five ‘C’ categorical model as proposed by leading researchers in
the field of positive youth development (Benson et al., 2007; Lerner et al., 2005).
Contribution, a sixth ‘C’ was added to the conceptual framework after further inquiry into
the Five C model (Lerner et al., 2005). Creativity was added to the model in order to test
whether or not its addition to the Five C model was appropriate. The following narratives
provide evidence of the developmental assets within the categories of confidence,
connection, competence, caring, character, contribution, and creativity.
Competence
The development of youth’s competence, defined as a positive view of one’s
actions in the domain specific areas including social, academic, cognitive and vocational
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(Lerner et al., 2005), was evidenced by the youth’s improvement in musical, social and
cognitive skills. These improvements caused happiness and a feeling of achievement in
the youth indicating competence learning was occurring. This is especially the case with
Stanley as he learned a new song he said that, “not really being able to achieve much or
get credit for it, when I achieved it I got the happy feeling knowing I had achieved it.”
The most obvious improvements the youth were aware of occurred as they learned to
play musical instruments.
During the focus group the youth agreed that they learned, “how to play
instruments. That is a big one for sure. Okay, we learned how to play them properly.”
Some youth developed confidence in single domains with regards to social actions,
particularly in the realm of their communication with friends, family and the staff at
Fusion. While interacting with the youth, the researcher found that through the work of
the leaders, youth at Fusion have learned to critically think and analyze music. The
researcher would often have conversations with the youth, which indicated that the youth
had built opinions of the music they were listening to on solid criteria. While talking to
Stanley about various sound tracks from movies he said that he “likes Howard Shore and
Hans Zimmer because they are able to mix genres so well”. Ron’s comment regarding his
own creation “It sounded like ass” indicating a degree of critical thinking. The youth’s
actions of this critical thinking and analysis add to their existing cognitive competence.
Vocational competence in the form of Musical Development
The first Program leader Bobbie, who believed that the youth should “learn to
play music, not just noise,” originally stressed improvements through musicology in
order to “encourage them to make music.” Youth have developed from the basics with
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tutelage to learn complicated parts of songs, build technique and learn the foundations of
music theory. Youth who have highly proficient skills playing one instrument in one
genre are particularly proud of beginning to transfer their skills either to another
instrument or into different genres of music. John was pleased to learn the double bass
after learning the electric bass and guitar originally in the rock music genre,
Just recently in the last year I started playing a lot of classical and I played double
bass in the orchestra as well. That was kind of a huge jump from playing electric
to double and it was a huge learning curve. Digging deeper into that, it was just a
whole different challenge.
His knowledge of pentatonic scales learned on the electric bass and guitar enabled John
to quickly learn jazz bass lines. Similarly David’s experience revealed how skills learned
on the guitar have helped him with the basics of the violin. “I definitely understand guitar
a lot better and I guess that could kind of apply to other instruments even. It has definitely
honed in on my musical ear on the violin as well.” Many of the students have similar
learning experiences to those of David and John where their competence level is aided.
An interesting technique that the youth were particularly proud of learning at
Fusion Music Program is the training of a musical ear. Hearing pitch, chord changes, and
the dynamics of the music is immensely important for a musician. As quoted above, by
teaching songs without a written chord tablature or classical notation, the Program forces
youth to learn the song using their ear. As the students grow in skill, they pick out the
chord changes themselves; often identifying the exact chords before they check using
tabs (a notation for guitars that indicates the chord changes of the songs) or classical
notation. Training the youth in this manner has enabled composition of music by youth
using the patterns or chord progressions they have heard and learned. To illustrate, ear
training has enabled Charles to easily edit, mix and produce music. “I was surprised to
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discover how good my [musical] ear was,” Charles exclaimed happily. He is now able to
hear the chord progression and dynamics the musicians use to help songs keep an
audience interested. Given that rock and jazz music (the basis of today’s popular music)
are often improvisational in form, learning to hear the chord changes is of vital
importance to the budding musician. This ability enables a person to play or sing in key
while soloing and when with others.
Youth also learn by playing with other youth, through practice, lessons, and by
taking risks. As talked about above Ron and John spoke highly of the importance of
playing with others to improve skills. It was observed that they learned new skills by
imitating, abstracting, and building upon other band members’ improvisations.
Eventually, by “playing off each other,” as stated by Ron, the youth were able to build
their own musical style. David emphasized the need for practice to improve his musical
skills, “I think almost any musician who has had some practice [is] good on a technical
level,” whereas Lisa thought that risk taking was how she learned new skills. On the topic
she said, “Yeah I think it makes me more of an artist. It kind of gives me like that secure
thing or whatever because that is kind of how I found my voice, by taking risks.” The
diversity of development patterns among the youth in creating a musical identity reveals
how everyone becomes competent differently and how Fusion encourages these different
learning styles.
All the youth were proud of learning through lessons from the leaders of the
Program. The leaders taught the basics of musicianship as well as advanced techniques,
such as double stepping the drums or harmonics on the guitar. Differences in competence
development patterns among students enabled the Program and youth to flourish together.
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Development of Competence in the Social and Cognitive Domains
Youth development of competence in social domains was evident by their
positive view of their social actions and interactions. Satisfaction in the friendships and
other relationships the youth built during their time in the Program was reported by many
of the youth. Charles stated that “I am generally happy here … I have made friends that
are important to me”. Among some members of the Music Program, an awareness of
their development of communication and conflict management skills was accompanied
by satisfaction. The communication skills the youth learned enabled them to make friends
and create positive connections. The youth’s use of their communication skills will be
discussed further in the connection section.
Social competence building was shown by the development John displayed.
Through his relationship with Harry, John was able to develop conflict management
skills. Harry helped John deal with his problems, especially in his family life. John was
able to create a positive view of his actions with regards to his future, family, friends and
Fusion’s community:
I've been working on, especially in the last year, trying just to break down walls
and talk about stuff from the past, which is difficult right? Of course, but it is just
like all of that is just stupid stuff with my family. Sometimes people think, oh it
is not a big deal, but to me it was a big deal because I was there. I was right there
and it affected me, especially since we were like grades seven, eight and nine.
You then try to build these walls and so I am just trying to break that down and
kind of let what I am impassioned about shine through.
This development of competence would not have been possible outside of the Music
Program as John’s ability to work with the emotions through music is unique.
John’s positive outlook was also associated with his cognitive development. The
Music Program at Fusion enabled youth to develop their critical thinking and reflection
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skills. Critical thinking development came in the form of judgement of the aesthetic in
music. The youth in the Music Program found enjoyment in developing judgements of
this musical taste, performance and own compositions. John, Harry and the researcher
often watch a professional classical bass player, symphonies, and rock bands critiquing
the performers style, sound and technique. It was an enjoyable experience for all of them.
Through the program, youth develop a positive view of their reflective nature.
John developed an ability to reflect on his own actions towards others in the past and
described his making amends in the above quote. He now believes his ability to reflect
and resolve conflict has resulted in improved decision-making skills. The development of
the youth’s competence within vocational, social, and cognitive domains enabled the
youth to build on assets within the other six ‘C’s.
Confidence
At Fusion Music Program, youth develop confidence in three main ways.
Confidence is defined as an internal sense of overall positive self-worth and self-efficacy;
one’s global self-regard, as opposed to domain specific beliefs (Lerner et al., 2005). The
first way confidence is built occurs with pride occurring in the individual’s achievements.
Secondly, by growing a sense of self worth within themselves through conversation with
others. Lastly, by learning new skills, receiving encouragement and socializing both from
other peers and from leaders.
In general, as the youth achieve competence in music, they begin to develop a
sense of pride, achievement and confidence in these areas of competence. The youth
expressed pride in their accomplishments. Stanley felt, “Proud. Mainly pride because I
accomplished it,” referring to learning The Hobbit Song from the movie Lord of Rings:
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The Fellowship of the Ring. The youth’s endeavours ranged from learning new songs
played by ear to receiving awards at Fusion. Stanley exemplifies how quickly a student
can become proud. In only six months of participation at the Music Program, Stanley had
learned how to play the piano and was currently composing a cover of a popular song
with leader Luke’s assistance. Many of the other youth reported a similar good feeling
while at Fusion Music Program. Feelings of “security,” “freedom” and “general
happiness” about oneself while at the studio were reported as well.
Encouragement from others at the studio in the form of compliments and support
has enabled the youth at Fusion Music Program to at minimum begin to overcome their
anxiety regarding the value of their music if not really start to have confidence in their
work and abilities. Multiple youth demonstrate the value of encouragement while
developing self-confidence. Lindsay reported that compliments from others, “help me
boost up my confidence” enabling her to sing in front of an audience full of strangers,
which she never would have done previously. Another example of how confidence is
built, Lisa had recently composed a creative cover of Kim Taylor’s song ‘Build Me Up’
and had an opportunity to talk to Kim about it. During the phone call, Kim complimented
Lisa’s cover of the song by stating that Lisa’s song was one of the best covers she had
ever heard. Kim added that she “particularly liked the ending.” Lisa was speechless
during the phone call as she was having an unexpected talk with one of her favourite
artists. Afterwards, Lisa was ecstatic and overflowing with confidence. Lisa expressed,
I was just really surprised about how [Kim] said it was the best one that she heard
and how she loved it and stuff like that. She is famous and that is what she does
for a living and she is telling me that I am good and so I must be good.
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There was immense gratitude towards the acknowledgement of her prowess as a musical
composer. This helped increase Lisa’s self-confidence.
The research revealed that building a sense of pride and self-confidence helped
the youth understand their self-worth. As the students learned musical skills, they became
less nervous while playing in front of others. Lindsay talked about how creative actions
helped build her confidence
Every time I go [to Fusion] I listen to music, sing, just draw or write different
things …it helped me boost my confidence and not worrying about what people
think. Just as long it is good to you then it is good.
Confidence enabled the youth to become aware of the importance of being genuine and
doing things for themselves and not others. This was especially the case with the talented
young musician, John. Through self-reflection, John had come to realize that self worth
comes from within. He began to change his self-image through conversations with
Program leaders and his peers,
I feel like if you are comfortable in your own and you are okay with who you are
then you shouldn't have to have a sense of belonging because. Let me rephrase.
Other people shouldn't make you feel like you have any more or any less worth.
It starts with you. If you are confident and you say hey this is me, this is what I
am and who I am and I am okay with it and I am happy with it, like you love
yourself as you would love someone else. I feel like if you don't respect yourself
and you don't care about yourself or you don't love yourself; that might sound
selfish, but then you have a hard time doing that for other people. It is like I said.
I've been working on, especially in the last year, trying just to break down walls
and talk about stuff from the past.
He credits Fusion as being essential to the process of transformation he experiences and
subsequently his building of self-confidence. Through this process John was able to build
the skills and relationships he needed to achieve his personal sense of self-worth.
Connection
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Fusion Music Program allows youth to develop connections in the form of
positive bonds with people and institutions. This is reflected in bidirectional exchanges
between the individual and peers, family, school, and community in which both parties
contribute to the relationship (Lerner et al., 2005). Youth were all in different stages of
developing connections while at Fusion. The stages were classified into specific areas:
peacocking, building relationships with the Program leaders, making friends, building a
community within Fusion Music Program, and building a strong relationship with Fusion
as a home.
Peacocking is a term used when youth demonstrate their value to others through
the use of music, just like a peacock attracting a mate though a flashy presentation of
colors. One youth’s story at Fusion illustrates the use of peacocking to attract new
friends. Tom’s reasons for wanting to learn to play the drums stemmed from a desire to
be seen as cool or popular,
I use it to show my friends. ... I mean when I say friends I have a little bit of
friendship with the really popular kids and I'm not that popular at school. I try
and get up to that level, the same level as they are. Popularity is important in
school, in high school. I use it to try and gain popularity.
He believes that demonstrating his prowess with the drums will attract others to him. In
turn, he feels his peers will value him and therefore become his friends. By teaching new
skills and providing an environment that encourages youth to participate in musical
activities, the Music Program allows adolescents to connect with others through a
demonstration of their skills.
Youth built on their ability to connect with others by crafting relationships with
staff. Initially, the youth are fascinated by the Program leaders. Youth hear and see the
leaders play during open jam and aspire to play music in a similar fashion. The Program
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leader typically initiate dialogue with the students. The youth and staff members talk
about common interests regarding music or other subjects. These conversations occur as
though chatting with friends. John talked about conversing over common interest,
[Luke] and I are we get along quite well too. I feel it is just the common interest
that we all share here. I have a friend [Ron]. He comes to this program as well
and he doesn't work. We share a lot of the same musical tastes and a lot of IT
things we share as well. This is because of coming here and meeting here and
talking about music and it just lead into a friendship. It is pretty special that
music can bring people together like that.
Through these experiences, the youth learn communication skills, which are needed to
connect with others. In some instances, the relationship grows and deepens. John and
Harry demonstrate how a leader and teenager can create a special bond. The two became
close quickly as John told stories about his life and troubles. As the relationship
deepened, Harry became a teacher, mentor, friend, and counsellor. Harry listened intently
and began to give advice as a friend and counsellor. When talking about his relationship
with Harry, John stated that, “He is like one of my dearest friends. I feel like I can open
up to him and talk to him for whatever reason.” The connection the two created enabled
John to develop positively in all the areas of the seven ‘C’s.
Staff members provide the opportunity for youth to connect with each other.
Bobbie spoke of introducing youth to other youth who shared a common interest in
music, “I remember I used to put bands together,” as the youth got along very well. Luke
and Harry were more subtle in their technique of introducing youth to each other by
providing a safe and welcoming atmosphere that encouraged youth to introduce
themselves to each other and express themselves freely. It was observed that the ‘show
and tell’ method of learning used by the youth while listening to music (from YouTube
often) enabled the youth to learn to communicate effectively with each other. As they
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learned communication skills they developed the ability to form connections and make
new friends.
The youth who participate in Fusion’s Music Program were able to connect with
each other on a deeper level by making friends. All the interviewees had made at least
one friend while participating at Fusion. “I get to hang out with my friends and I also get
to make new friends and meet new staff.” Lindsay said while talking about why it is fun
to come to Fusion’s Music Program. Even Charles, who regularly only comes to Fusion
for music lessons said, “yeah I have made friends here, [John] is an example”. Youth
making connections is achieved in two major ways: 1) finding a common interest in
music with other members of the Program; 2) the provision of a safe place to socialize
with each other at Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre.
The studio provided youth with an opportunity to create music together. This adds
a new element to the connections made with others at the Music Program. Brothers David
and Paul learned how to play the guitar at Fusion and started playing together. The
siblings are now able to socialize through a new medium. David enjoys the challenge that
playing in a group brings. While discussing ‘jamming’ he indicated that it is a communal
act whereby the music produced by one musician is only a part of the larger puzzle:
I think when you are playing with someone else you kind of get some, kind of
develop some experience outside of yourself. I think that could apply to almost
any field, music or otherwise. If you are just doing things on your own then you
are not really getting the same out of it as you would if you were playing or
working with other people. I'd say I enjoy jamming with other people. Just also
the sound is more whole. You can play guitar all you want, but if you have a
guitar and a bass and then add drums and any amount of other instruments it
sounds more cohesive. You can get a more coherent kind of sound.
While playing in a group David realized that music he produced should fit the music
produced by the others. The listening skills necessary to achieve this feat are only
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acquired through practice. Paul discussed that learning guitar enabled him to play with
his brother, “I like playing with my brother, it’s cool.” He found playing with David was
fun as he was able to hang out with his brother on a new level. Both siblings found that
the bigger sound created while playing together added depth to the music.
Playing music together can be a form of celebration. This is especially true in
blues based improvisational forms such as Jazz and Rock and Roll. Ron told a story of
such a celebration occurring on Bobbie’s last day as the Music Program’s leader,
So it was like the first real time that I realized I had actually made friends here
and that we actually all had something in common, and we were all celebrating
what we had in common because the one guy was moving on and doing his own
thing from that point on.
During the interview Ron mentioned that it was during this jam session, that he realized
the new friendships he made at the program were of value as it enabled him to part of the
Ingersoll community. Playing together was a method that deepened and strengthened the
friendships that he built at Fusion.
The youth expressed sentiments of the Music Program being like a home or a
place of belonging:
I get a sense of like home. We spend a whole bunch of time here and so I feel
like it becomes a home and you get some different things as well. I feel like this
become my second home. I spend more time here than I do at my house. It is the
home feeling and the warmth, like you know the place a lot. You've been there
and you have a lot of memories there.
These sentiments, in conjunction with the support the youth receive from their peers,
using music as a celebration, and deep friendships that are built at the studio, indicate
towards the creation of a community. Through the use of music youth are able to build
the assets necessary to connect with other people. The youth who added to the
community at Fusion through music found that the program provided a sanctuary for
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them; a place where they can unwind and relieve the stress caused by school and family
life.
Character
The following sub-theme discusses evidence regarding the youth’s character
development. In other words, the development of respect for societal and cultural rules,
possession of standards for correct behaviour, a sense of right and wrong (morality), and
integrity (Lerner et al. 2005). During observations and interviews, only a few instances of
youth building character were readily obvious. However, in the following few narratives
instances of character were shown.
The development of character at Fusion Music Program was largely driven by the
leaders. As a Program leader, Bobbie had high behavioural expectations of youth,
including an inclusive attitude, freedom of expression, non-judgmental attitude,
acceptance and equality for all the participants. These expectation have been passed
down to the current Program leaders. Harry, one of the current leaders, understands that
the above expectations revolve around respecting others and one’s self. He embodies
respect by providing all youth the opportunity to learn and by using positive language at
all times. Harry reported that he never heard negative language and that the relationship
he built with his students enabled him to keep misbehaviour to a minimum,
I don't think there has ever really been any issues in here. As far as bullying goes
or name calling or misbehaviour, there have been a couple of people I have
kicked out because they were beating the drums to crap and I would be like guys
could you just not destroy them? We would like to keep the drums for other
people as long as we can and they just keep going. Then I am like excuse me.
You heard what I said and they'd be like ‘oh whatever’. You get the odd [person],
but most people who come to the music room are regulars here and I have a good
relationship with them.
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The disrespect shown by youth for the instruments and studio equipment and bringing
food or drink into the studio was not tolerable for Harry.
Harry mentioned that he found that many youth at Fusion outside of the Music
Program were disrespectful towards peers, especially at the skate park. An experience
during observations illustrates how a positive culture of respect is important. While
socializing with youth from the Music Program outside of Fusion, a victim of verbal
harassment by other members of Fusion came to file a complaint. The abuser was of
African-American decent. Even though the victim was angry, the language used to file
his complaint was disrespectful and racist. Ron, one youth from the Music Program
sitting with a group nearby, expressed revulsion at the language used. Given the
potentially violent nature of the situation, the leader decided not to correct the racial slur
and instead defused the situation smoothly. The revulsion expressed by Ron revealed his
higher moral character and his courage and respect for the equality of all individuals
regardless of race.
Discipline is often required to become a successful musician (Heble, 2000,
Gladwell, 2008). Harry took this notion to heart and believed that discipline was
important as revealed by John, “He teaches about discipline through music and the
passion because it is important.” Furthermore, Harry stated, “I expect them to have
enthusiasm and motivation” when talking about the youth who come for lessons,
indicating that attitude and work ethic are important to him. The discipline learned while
at the studio at Fusion has enabled him to develop a strong work ethic and add to his
character and help him develop respect for other people.
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Lisa, while speaking of her cover of Kim Tyler’s song “Build You Up”,
mentioned her desire to become a role model for other young girls going through
hardship: “I want to help them because I know what they are going through.” The Music
Program provides a medium for her to achieve this dream through the possibility of peerto-peer mentorship. By granting youth the opportunity to lead by example, they have the
chance to develop leadership skills at Fusion.
Ron demonstrated his leadership skills by advocating for himself and others when
experiencing a perceived downturn in the Music Program. Eric, the Program leader at the
time, was concentrating on karaoke style recording at the expense of instrumental music
time. As a result, many of the previous participants left the program. Ron, instead of
leaving, talked to Eric to voice his opinion about the state of the music program. When no
change occurred, he petitioned management to change the programming times:
Back when [Eric] was here—I don’t want to put the guy in a bad light—but he
kind of ran the program into the ground, but before he came in with [Bobbie], this
place was always full; there were always people playing, doing everything,
playing music, recording, but once [Eric] came in, the shift focused away from
music to just manufacturing and not actually playing or writing music. It came to
recording covers, and you’d have groups of ten or eleven girls come in and take a
song off YouTube and then every single one of them would have to make a cover
of that song. The room would be booked solid with people using the room for
absolutely nothing.
When asked what he has done,
We complained a lot to management and they never really did anything. They just
said ‘oh well, there’s nothing we can do’. I think [Ian] and I talked to [Eric] at one
point and he said that he would try to make it better and things did get a little
better. But we more or less tried to avoid the Music Program as much as we could
because it was just abysmal at the time.
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Small changes occurred slowly over time. Ron understood that the program was limited
by time and space and demands from all participants. By voicing his opinion and
advocating, Ron strengthened his character and displayed courage and fortitude.
Caring
Caring is defined as a sense of sympathy and empathy for others by Lerner et al.
(2005). An expansion of the conception of caring was necessary for indicators to be
observed. The conception was expanded to include the attributes associated with caring.
Empathy was observed to have developed in only a couple of individuals. Empathetic
communication during improvisation provides the most positional evidence for the
development of caring within youth at Fusion Music Program.
Attributes that indicate the development of caring
The current framework within positive youth development research conceives
caring as a manifestation of empathy. The researcher found little evidence of youth
developing assets in the caring category. By expanding the conception of caring to
include the development of attributes and emotions that allow a person to value others,
evidence emerged that indicates that the youth in the Music Program are caring of
themselves and others. These attributes, feelings and emotions include remembrance,
love, empathy, and management of anger due to loss.
Even though he was disqualified for an interview due lack of time in attendance at
the Program, Jeff’s story demonstrates remembrance and caring. Jeff remembered his
grandfather by playing on his grandfather’s guitar. Interested in celebrating the
memories, Jeff asked to learn songs that his grandfather had played in the past. He had
particular interest in learning songs from the band ‘The Eagles’ and other folk singers of
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the 1960’s and 1970’s. Jeff prescribed value to the guitar and songs as he often portrayed
his grandfather in a positive light. The leaders at Fusion encouraged Jeff to learn music
his grandfather had played. These actions indicate the development of caring, which was
channelled in a productive and positive way to celebrate happy memories.
For Tom, remembrance of a person he cared about resulted in manifestations of
another strong emotion, anger. His reaction when he hears the song is to, “Go [into] my
room and just punch everything or I go in my room and listen to that song until I fall
asleep.” Music enables him to release the anger and help him feel “free,” while playing
the drums. By funnelling these strong emotions into his playing, Tom is able to
proactively manage his emotions. By using music to manage his grief Tom’s actions
indicate that the Music Program helps certain youth develop grief management
techniques. Strong emotional release by youth indicates an attachment to a lost individual
which requires empathy, sympathy and love which are attributes of caring.
The management and discovery of love, an emotion in which empathy is
intertwined, is best illustrated by John’s composition process. John had begun the process
of writing a love song dedicated to his girlfriend, who was moving away for school. In
his interview, John talked about his reasoning for writing the song. He was abstracting
the guitar part from The Beatles’ tune “Blackbird”. Abstracting is a process Jazz artists
use when re-imagining Jazz and Pop standards. John created a pretty, yet intense guitar
part to accompany his lyrics. He hoped his song would help express the love he felt, not
just the sentimental feelings of a teenage soul,
I am actually in the process of writing a song for my girlfriend. I just want it to be
really special. I want to share with her what I am passionate about … I am just
trying to make it not super cheesy or anything, but it is getting really cheesy. You
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feel these emotions. People say I am too young to love, but I genuinely love her.
Mitch found that music was the medium that enabled him to express his love for his
girlfriend. Using love, remembrance and grief attributed to loss as indictors of caring
enabled the researcher to explore aspects of caring that are not encompassed in current
definition.
Empathy Developed as a Result of the Music Program
Only one instance of empathy was revealed during the short time observing the
youth at Fusion. During the development of empathy in a youth, the learning and
communication structures at Fusion were again key. Charles demonstrated empathy
towards his friend, developed while socializing at Fusion Music Program. By feeling for
a friend who was in trouble and subsequently helping the individual, Sean demonstrated
his empathy towards the student. Sean talked about, “feeling deep emotions towards the
student,” as well as an urge “to help [his] friend through,” his plight. The structure of the
Music Program enabled him to develop the attributes needed to be empathetic; the
mentorship, friendship, and encouragement for his curiosity enabled him to build new
connections with others, helped him to learn in a self-directed manner, and reinforced
that respect for others is important.
Empathy Practiced through Playing Improvisational Music in a Group
While playing improvisational music in a group, a unique circumstance arose
where empathetic communication was necessary to incorporate the expressions of each
musician involved. For the members of Fusion Music Program, musical expression is
often an introspective process. When improvising in a group, musical expression needs to
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become an interpersonal form of communication in order to play together. Playing as a
group allowed the youth to create deeper connections.
The researcher’s experience improvising with a group of youth demonstrates how
empathy is practiced during musical performance within a group. After completing an
interview with a student, I entered the studio and found a group of youth improvising
music over a blues progression. It was evident that the musicians were listening to each
other and adapting in order to create a beautiful sound. I picked up my trumpet and
started to play using the melody and progression the group had started with. I could hear
the musicians creating conversations by speaking in musical phrases. Building upon or
abstracting another players rift or rhythmic gesture. While playing, I could feel the
emotion being expressed by the different musicians. The expressions complemented each
other, indicating that the musicians in the room were adapting and changing their
expressions to match others. I found that this was a form of empathy in practice, as in
order to appropriately match to others expressions I had to envision and practice what the
others were feeling.
Contribution
Contribution was formulated by Lerner et al., (2005) to account for the youth’s
participation or involvement in the youth’s own community. Youth who participate in the
Music Program have outside factors that interrupt their ability to help contribute to the
larger community of Ingersoll as a whole. These factors include a lack of opportunity to
play in concerts, shy personalities of the youth, and lack of transportation to community
events outside their immediate area.
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Some youth at Fusion are able to contribute to the community through musical
performances and volunteering for events held at Fusion Youth Technology and Activity
Center. During an interview with Lisa, she talked about her experience playing at local
establishments in the Ingersoll area,
I do like these open microphones. I haven't been in a while, but I usually go twice
a month. I will just sing. I will do a new cover of a song. It is pretty fun and then I
get feedback from the audience. They will say, well usually they will say, ‘oh that
was good’. It is like a regular thing with the same people every time. Some nights
they will be like ‘that wasn't as good as last time, but it was still good’.
By participating in a local establishment’s ‘open mic night’, Lisa was able to highlight
her musical skills to an audience. Lisa enjoys playing for others but has found
transportation to the venues to be a challenge.
Another youth, John, has played for an audience. Harry invited John to play with
him at a venue in Ingersoll,
Harry and I did a benefit. We played at a benefit and played six or so songs. It
was the first time I actually sang in front of people. There were only maybe 70 or
so people there so that wasn't very many, but it was pretty nerve racking. He was
like really supportive and ‘yep you are going to do fine’. Yes I felt like it was
risky, but I thought I sounded like crap, but great. They say I sounded good and
so it was encouraging.
Although he was nervous at first, John was able to build on his confidence level through
his relationship with Harry and has been able to increase it further since that instance.
John and Charles were able to contribute to the community by helping set up the audio
equipment at Fusion’s Haunted House held annually. Both youth were eager to contribute
and volunteer, “The Haunted House is an event we do every year. I've worked on some
of the sound stuff and worked with some sound effects, which is cool. It was a cool
contribution.” Keen to participate in future events at Fusion, John stated, “I wish I
contributed more honestly,” speaking of Fusion’s community and the events held there.
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Charles had similar sentiments. He is aware that his skill set with audio equipment is not
common and expresses a desire to continue recording and producing as a hobby to better
Ingersoll’s community, “It is fun to work with recording equipment at my age … I don’t
know of anywhere else that has a studio like this … I would like to do it more often” he
said. However, both youths expressed their doubts surrounding contributions in the
future, as opportunities to contribute to their community are rare. John indicates that skill
and experience is a barrier to his contribution.
Learning about the equipment and how to use it and how to make it sound good I
feel like is really cool. It is something else that I would like to do. … I wish I
could help set stuff up and move stuff around, but I don't know enough about it to
do anything about it
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Creativity
The development of creativity, defined as the process and product of crafting
novel artefacts, in the youth at Fusion occurs through a number of practices. By trying
new musical instruments, different disciplines and by combining their technical skills,
youth explore music. They imagine new forms of sound and music, practicing their
creativity. By taking risks youth learn to create music through composition and
improvisation. The final process youth use to rehearse their creative skills is development
of their expressions by training their aesthetic artistry. These skills were all demonstrated
by youth at the Music Program as demonstrated through interviews and observations.
Exploration of Music as a Form of Creative Practice
Exploration of Different Musical Styles
The youth and staff at Fusion found that the exploration and exposure to new
forms and styles of music provides a basis for everyone’s creative works. During the
focus group, the youth expressed the advantages of having two instructors’ divergent
styles in terms of both exposure to differences in musical styles and creative processes,
Luke and Harry have a ton of differences in their playing and I think that kind of
makes the program even better. Having two teachers and having the ability to
play any variety I want I feel like kind of opens up a lot of creative opportunities
for you.
The youth at the focus group agreed that exposure to a wide variety of music created an
environment that produced choices of music genre and style with resounding “yeah”
when asked if they agree. This encouraged youth to learn new skills necessary to enhance
their ability to create,
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Yeah it usually goes more towards, if I create something it sounds a bit country or
a bit more to the rock side … It is just something that you kind of explore and you
are still kind of figuring out.
Stanley noted during his interview when asked about what genres he likes to emulate
when composing. The endless music choices available to staff and youth enable all
participants to learn new forms of music. Nearly all the participants talked about
exploring different kinds of music through performance, listening or composing. Evident
in the case of Ron and his friends learning heavy metal music together,
Normally my style of music is kind of like classic rock or kind of punk rock sort
of deal, but back a few years ago now, a few guys and I that I met in here, we
kind of became friends and they were huge metal-heads like death metal-heads
sort of like hey, let’s form a band. They wanted to play the death metal kind of
stuff so I kind of tried something new along the lines of that death metal style
drumming, the whole double-kick that fills the room. That was fun and interesting
I guess. I never really drummed up until that point so I learned drums and learned
a whole new genre all in one go.
Lisa described how she explored her own music tastes through listening to music,
I just like listening to all kinds of things and finding out what I like. When I was
growing up I always listened to whatever my parents put on. Then I got to an age
where it was like I want to find out what I like.
These examples of youth exploring music is the first step in building creativity as it
provides youth with method of making something new while performing, manufacturing
and composing music. On a personal note, as an amateur musician, I still aspire to move
between different genres of music on instruments and believe knowledge and proficiency
in an array of genres is necessary to develop new sounds and styles.
Exploring through Experimentation and Imagination
Youth also explored music through simple forms of experimentation. While
participating at Fusion’s Music Program John developed a trial and error process to
discover what chords best fit together in order to create sounds that were pleasing to the
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ear. He described the process to be “a lot of trial and error, getting feedback from people
and saying hey how do you think this sounds?”
Stanley used a similar process to find new rifts for contemporary songs, “I start
out by making any random tune and playing around with it.” He went on to say that “
One time on the drums I started randomly drumming on it and I found myself repeating a
new tune. I just kind of stuck with the tune, fine tuned it” Stanley also explained that he
changed the rift of the song to match his mood.
The way I see it, it is all based around my emotions. So if I am in a happy mode
it will most likely be a happier rift. If it is more of a sad mood it will go more
towards a deeper feeling I guess would be the best way to explain it.
It was observed that in some cases he changes the chord progression to match a
modified tempo. Stanley also modified chord changes by playing the diminished 5th and
dominant 5th chords instead of the major 7th chord to change the mood of the song.
Robert’s trial and error process while exploring music enabled him to re-imagine popular
rock songs.
David experimented by imagining new additions or subtractions from the chord
progression while creating new music. On the guitar a single chord can be played in
different forms or fingering patterns and strummed or plucked at different intervals. By
mixing different fingering patterns and harmonics and chords, David found that the music
became more interesting,
I have explored a lot with the different harmonics on the guitar, both natural and
pinched harmonics and just getting better at it. Also I am trying things where, the
one thing I like to do that I am sure other people do it, but I kind of just happened
upon it. You bend one string. Rather than bending it up towards the other string
you bend it down towards the string below and then I kind of hit both strings at
the same time and then I bend them both at the same time. It creates a really neat
sound. I have been doing that for a while. I would say that probably qualifies.
Other than that in the way of musical exploring I experiment with different chords
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and how they sound together. I certainly know a classic chord progression like
“G” to “D” and then back to “G” and stuff like that.
Along with these explorations, he would pluck single notes outside the normal notes
prescribed by a chord, but within the key of the signature or scale of the tune. David
found that placing these notes in specific spots creates interesting rhythms and melodies.
He would subtract from the chord by muting a specific note in the chord. This technique,
popularized by Edge the guitarist from the band U2, can create interesting tones (a more
open or airy sound) used in popular rock tunes. By using his imagination and musical
knowledge of pentatonic, major and minor scales, rhythm and chord progressions, David
was able to create what he believed to be interesting music.
These youth used very different techniques, but both explored their creative
natures. Stanley and David pushed their creative processes related to the exploration and
creation of music, thereby expanding their ability to be creative.
Exploration of New Musical Processes
Youth explored new musical processes through learning and creating music. For
the youth at Fusion, learning new instruments was common. Learning at Fusion was
often conducted in an exploratory manner using trial and error as well as
experimentation. Drums were the instrument many of the participants mentioned as the
new instrument they learned. Even leaders Luke and Harry mentioned that the drums
were new to them when they started working at Fusion,
Kind of like how do I grow creatively as an artist working here? I haven't played
drums very much until I got here. Having a drum set at work that is always open
for me to screw around on is always really great. Sitting down with so many
other kids who are a lot better than me at the drums or any of the other
instruments that is always good for growing and learning. I have gotten way
better at drums just from watching other people and seeing what they can do.
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Creation of music through composition and recording was also a new creative practice
for the students. The more advanced musicians started composing as result of their
teachings at Fusion. Composing new songs or creating novel covers of popular songs is
common for these young musicians and songwriters. Tom talked about creating a new
beat on the drums:
Oh yeah I created a beat here. … The two toms on the drum kit I kick the snare
and go (taps his foot) and I keep that beat on the drums and I just hit the two toms
a bunch of times. (He demonstrates.) And then I hit the two crashes and go duh
or (cymbal sound) and it hit them both pretty much at the same time.
In addition, John talked about the advantages of using the recording studio for
composition purposes
I just really find the recording sessions fun. You kind of just get to be creative.
You have all this equipment and software and there are really no boundaries to
what you can do. It is included with your $5.00 membership and so you can take
all the time you need or take as much time on one specific thing, so you can really
make it your own and focus on what you are passionate about with your
recordings.
It was also observed that creative endeavours using the recording and editing equipment
was prevalent at Fusion Music Program.
The youth build on their art form using the power of the professional level editing
suite they have access to on site. Changing the music by adding effects to songs and
mixing the voices in a song increases the youth’s creative nature. Sometimes youth have
even created music videos of their favourite song. Lisa created a music video of her cover
of “Build You Up” in collaboration with other youth. Arranged by a Program leader at
Fusion, Lisa and group of youth filmed, edited and produced a music video. Youth
participated in all aspects of the production, in an effort to display Lisa’s creative vision.
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These examples of musical exploration are innately creative endeavours and therefore
allow the staff and youth to practice creativity.
By combining techniques, genres, and ideas while developing a personal style or
composing songs, the youth at Fusion Music Program practice a type of creativity often
used by musicians and composers. John was finding it difficult to meld classical and jazz
bass line and melodies into traditional rock chord progressions in his compositions. John
was working towards creating a novel but pleasing sound.
I am really trying to make music that is easy to listen to, but sometimes it is hard
to be creative and use interesting chord phrasings or interesting melodies and
make it sound good. I am really trying to find the medium there where you can
have something that is unique and something that is cool, but also marketable and
able to be listened to.
Lisa preferred to cover songs by mixing in folk dynamics, country chord progressions
and R&B sounds. She achieved this by using her own voice and adding dimensions to the
music in the editing process. This is usually achieved by adding sounds (drums, strings
and horn sections) into the original recording of her instrumentals and voices.
Other musicians at Fusion preferred to meld instrumental techniques to create
new rifts. For example, David combined Jazz and Rock and Roll guitar techniques to
build his improvised solos while playing in a group. Through the use of pentatonic scales,
the Blues heavily influenced David’s style. With these techniques, David created an
intriguing, lyrical and seductive form of music. Charles had a more cerebral method
when producing music. He liked “to mix a few ideas together while editing”. Playing
with edit tools that change the sound of the instruments, position the voices from right to
left speakers, tune the tones of vocals and instruments, and add fade and sustain to the
voices that were recorded, created the sounds he sought to achieve. In this way, Charles
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discovered ways to create interesting sounds. The youth at Fusion Music Program who
combined genres, techniques or ideas practised creative processes enabling them to
develop skills used by creative people.
Exploration of music through trial and error, experimentation and combining
musical qualities aided the youth of Fusion’s Music Program in producing art that
departed from convention. Creative practices to compose and produce music that
diverges from formulaic form and content was used by many youth at Fusion.
As quoted in the above section on Learning, Ron, a skilled musician, collaborated
as a member of a metal band, helping their musical composition and production. He
proposed a fun exercise that would enable the band to learn and overcome the challenges
of the recording process. The group of youth composed a song, recorded and edited it
through experimentation and combing processes. The final result was a song that
combined metal instrumentals with sound effects used in a way not conventionally used
in the music industry. This song broke conventional rules by editing vocals and
instrumentals until they were unrecognizable.
Like I said earlier, when those guys started the death metal-type band that was
kind of a major experiment. I also kind of experimented in manufacturing pop
style music; that’s something I never did before, I guess like working with
synthesizers and drum machines and all that. That was interesting.
Ron implied that the song sounded like “complete ass” but that he had fun creating it and
learned about the production process while doing it. He attributed the open culture at the
Music Program for the freedom to complete this project. The youth at Fusion Music
Program are able to learn and have fun by creating unconventional music.
Taking Risks and Creativity
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For the musicians at Fusion risks mainly manifested as psychological and/or
sociological. For many of the youth, musical creative action (composition, performance,
or improvisation) is perceived as risky. Negative judgement from their peers was a
common fear of the youth. Thus, performance, improvisation, and composition are all
risky as the perceived negative effects of their peers’ judgement are ominous. At Fusion
Music Program negative judgements of youth’s creative endeavours are not only rare, the
creative actions of the members are often admired by others. Thus, taking risks at Fusion
Music Program results in a boost of confidence as well as a creative product in the form
of a composed and/or performed songs or improvisations.
In order to take such risks, courage is needed. Two members of the Music
Program demonstrated how they overcome their shyness in order to take risks. Lisa and
John have both developed qualities allowing them to role model risk-taking to others.
They demonstrate boldness and a deeper understanding of themselves. Being bold allows
them to stand out, while their sense of self enables them to be unique. Both musicians
described the need to be bold and unique during the creative process when asked about
the risks they take at Fusion. The way they each personified these qualities was different.
Lisa was overt in her boldness; her gothic style of dress and diva like attitude was always
juxtaposed against her soft voice and lyrical musical preference. Lisa stressed being
identifiable through their music, “Once you hear the beginning of the song you know
who it is kind of thing and I want to be able to do that just like they do.” John’s boldness
was subtle; with a modest attitude, he used his music as his brazen outlet for his
individuality, thereby achieving a unique and bold art form. John talked about music as
outlet for his individuality while discussing why creativity is important to him
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If you don't come across in the music that you are playing then I don't really see
the point at all. If you are just taking a course for information and just playing
concrete things then I feel like you are kind of playing somebody else' and you are
kind of faking it. You are kind of putting that mask on. It is really important to
let what you know come out in your music and let that music be special because it
is coming from you and not from anybody else.
These quotes indicate that these youth at the Program agreed that risk-taking through
creative action encouraged their growth as artists and as developing adults.
The Role Expression and Aesthetic in the Development of Creativity
Expression and an understanding of aesthetics are essential in any creative art
form. For the youth at Fusion, aesthetic and expression are intertwined. Aesthetic and
expression were revealed to be most interrelated for John and Stanley. For both these
youth, their expression is delivered through the aesthetics they create in their art forms.
As discussed in the Caring section, John’s composition of his love song is an abstract
form of The Beatle’s song “Blackbird”. John uses the form of the song and creates a new
melody intended to portray love. In using aesthetics to express an emotion, he created a
song that was very powerful. Even in an incomplete form, when he first played his song
for me, I believed he loved the subject of his prose. The achievement of an aesthetic this
grand astounded me. Stanley had solid understanding of aesthetic use in music. While at
Fusion it became evident that Stanley understood that his art enabled him to express his
emotions by revealing, “creation reflects what I feel.” Stanley’s aesthetic is evident in his
dynamics on the piano while playing covers and classical songs.
During his time at Fusion Music Program it became evident that Stanley, John
and others were learning to listen, judge and give feedback to their peers in a positive
manner. Stanley spent much of his free time discussing and listening to music with Luke.
Through their conversations, Stanley became familiar with the compositions and
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production styles of Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore and Quincy Jones. Stanley and Luke
would often listen to these composers learning and judging the merits of each producer’s
compositions in an effort to emulate the composers aesthetic art form. This exemplified
when, Luke pointed out that “I like how Hans Zimmer uses African tribal drums, and
vocals to set the mood in this song” while talking about the song “The Circle of Life” in
the animated feature ‘The Lion King’. John and David took a different approach when it
came to learning to create their own beautiful music. These youth preferred to learn the
technical skills and the music theory that enabled the artists they admired to create music.
John studied both classical and funk techniques on the double and electric bass by
listening and watching his favourite musicians. The skills John learned while studying
classical and funk music, assisted him in creating new sounds that he incorporated into
his musical creations. David and John studied musical theory enabling them to advance
their composition skills and performance technique. Both David and John saw beauty in
virtuosity. While watching professional musicians on YouTube, John would comment in
amazement at the skill and technique of the musicians. On multiple occasions, I observed
both individuals giving constructive feedback to other youth musicians. Luke and Harry
would stress that “music was intended to sound interesting and pleasing”. The youth were
very receptive to this teaching often reiterating this during conversations musical styles.
While listening to Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew John commented “this song did not sound
musical”. Harry indicated that he does not like listen to that type music because there was
“too much going on with no [discernable] melody” Learning to listen, judge, and give
feedback is as essential to building and creating an aesthetic art form.
The youth’s experiences of flow during musical activities at Fusion
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Flow states amongst the participants varied. The following narratives demonstrate
how flow states manifest in some of the individuals at Fusion Music Program. The
barriers to the creation of flow states within an individual while immersed in musical
activities is evident as well, the impact of the flow state on the individual’s mental state.
The Manifestation of flow states in the individuals at Fusion’s Music Program
Flow state manifested in different ways amongst the participants. The most
prevalent appearance of flow state was a feeling of intense immersion into the musical
activity, accompanied by a deep emotional state. The intense immersion in music was
reported to be momentary in nature, but complemented by a focus on the music and the
participant’s contribution to the music. These descriptions indicate that a flow state was
attained. A greater sense of “awareness of the music” and self was reported by Ron and
John. These two youth were of higher musical skill than many other youth at Fusion,
allowing them to be more adept at inducing a higher immersion into the musical activity,
allowing flow states to occur. This immersion occurs mainly when musicians can find
challenges that match their skill level.
Lindsay, Paul and Stanley described the emotional state that occurs while playing
as “happy”. John, Lisa and Tom described that during musical performance or
composition a sense of relief comes upon their psyche. Lisa said, “I know when I sing
everything that I have held inside for whatever all comes out.” This relief was
accompanied by release of strong emotions. Tom, Lisa and John were all able to resolve
feelings of anger and frustration. The flow of emotion indicates the presence of an
optimum mental state in the individuals at the Music Program.
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Flow states were also reported to manifest as feelings or release of power. When
describing his philosophy of composition John stated, “Let it flow; let it explode out of
[me]; let it the power of the music almost insult,” revealing how powerful music can be
to certain youth. Lisa felt as though all the emotion she held inside was let out in a
“powerful” form, revealing similar feelings as John. Tom’s accounts included feeling
“freedom” resulting from a “release of power”, indicate that the flow states may be
manifesting in individuals who are performing and listening to music without them
knowing or being able to express it in the same way. The intensity of the experience of
flow can be explained using the concept of power.
Barriers to Flow State for the Participants
Even though Fusion Music Program provides learning environments, which are
generally open, non-judgmental, and engaging; barriers to acquiring flow states still exist.
Several participants described their anxiety while playing in front of others. Nervous and
self-conscious feelings manifested pertaining to how others thought of their musicianship
skills. Attaining flow states when nervous can be difficult as the youths’ attention is often
distracted in distorted realities the mind creates in an anxious state (Csikszentmihalyi,
1991/2008). Distracted thoughts were reported by several of the youth who were
interviewed. These thoughts ranged from worries about the judgments of others as with
Ron and Lindsay (quoted above), to over analyzing the music as in David’s case,
I am just learning things and so I think that mentally I am making connections to
things I have already learned and trying to expand my horizons like we were
talking about earlier. Usually when I am playing here at Fusion it is trying things
for the first time or trying to nail something and so mostly what I am thinking
about is how to do whatever I am doing.
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These types of thoughts create a mental state that prevents flow states. In some cases, it
was evident that youth were not able to find the appropriate amount of challenge to
induce an optimum mental state. Youth at the Music Program reported boredom while
learning material that was too easy and instances where the material being learned was
too difficult.
The open, non-judgmental, and engaging atmosphere attempt where possible to
help youth overcome barriers, whether from others or self-imposed. Nerves often
subsided the longer the participant was in the Program as seen during observations and as
quoted by some of the interviewees. This decrease of nerves enables the calm mind
necessary for a state of flow during musical activity. Proper instruction and
encouragement by the Program leaders facilitate youth to become more adept at playing,
singing and composing music. The youths’ relative challenge level decreases, permitting
a match in challenge to skill level needed to create a flow state in an individual
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1991/2008).
The Impact of Flow States on the youth in Fusion Music Program
The impact of flow states seen in the youth was evident in their emotional
wellbeing. The vast majority of the youth reported that they felt happy while playing an
instrument or singing at Fusion. Youth then described that the emotional release felt
while playing an instrument or singing often helped relieve stress. Happiness leading to
stress relief create a positive feedback loop. Youth are then inspired to learn more about
music and perform musical activities more often. Stanley described this process
manifesting as an “inspired feeling”.
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For some of the teenagers, participation is simply something to do. Through
engagement in the musical forms: playing, singing and listening to music, youth find
relief from boredom often seen in daily life in Ingersoll. It is evident that the popular
Music Program engages teenagers in such a way that they can ignore their surroundings
at other times of the day. In fact, the more skilled musicians often use specific genres as a
form of stress and emotional release. For the teenagers participating in Fusion Music
Studio, engagement in musical activities also acts as a conduit to release and display
strong emotions. The musicians found meaning in the display of emotions shown while
participating in musical activities at Fusion. The youth established meaning in their daily
life by participating in the activities offered at Fusion Music Program as shown through
observations and interviews quoted above.
Summary
This chapter described the experiences of the youth and program leaders involved
in Fusion’s Music Program. The challenges of staff members who coordinate the
program are a result of the structure of Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre as
an afterschool program. The structure of Fusion as a drop-in centre creates inconsistent
attendance patterns, frustrating the leaders. Furthermore, personal challenges arise with
the leaders including long hours and low pay. The leaders overcome these challenges on
a daily basis, creating a culture valuing fun, authenticity, community, inclusivity, support,
respect and equity that is sustained by the participants of the Fusion Music Program. The
opportunity given to learn music, the use a professional style recording studio and
socialization time allow youth to build on assets that they require to thrive. Through
participation in the Music Program youth find meaning in their daily lives, explore their
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identities and future goals and find meaning in relationships they build, consequently
learning about themselves as well as musical practices. Even with the barriers to learning
that exist within Fusion’s Music Program, the methods and structures of teaching and
mentoring used advances the youth’s musical skills as well as their development.
Evidence of positive youth development at Fusion’s Music Program is illustrated in this
chapter by the youth building competence, confidence, connection, character, caring, and
contribution. The youth also facilitated their advancement of creativity through the
exploration of music as a form of creative practice, taking risks, and developeng their
own forms of expression and aesthetic through music. Finally, the youth’s experiences of
flow during musical activities at Fusion were described in terms of the manifestation of
flow states in the individuals at Fusion’s Music Program, the barriers to flow states for
the participants and the impact of flow states on the youth in Fusion’s Music Program.
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Chapter 6: Discussion
Introduction
Fusion’s Music Program allowed researchers to study youth development in a
rural area while the participants were learning various life skills. Throughout the research
time period, various observations of the participants allowed for insight into their
development of assets that are included in the Six ‘C’ Model. This unique Music Program
offered the youth participants’ opportunities for identity exploration, meaningful
activities, and induction of flow states. As a part of an after-school program, challenges
for the leaders and for the Music Program emerged. Given the learning structures and
pedagogies used by Fusion’s leaders, discoveries were made that can inform current
learning theory.
Fusion’s Music Programs role in the youth’s development of the Six ‘C’s
within Positive Youth Development Theory
The following section discusses the role Fusion’s Music Program plays in the
development of youth’s assets categorised by the six ‘C’s formulated by Lerner et al.
(2005) and Benson et al. (2007). In general, the youth who attended the Program
developed in the following categories throughout the study period: competence,
confidence, connection, character, and caring. Amongst the youth, the observed asset
development varied. Discussed below are numerous reasons for the variances amongst
the youth in terms of their development across the six ‘C’s.
Competence: A positive view of one’s actions in the domain specific areas
including social, academic, cognitive and vocational (Lerner et al., 2005), developed in
all the youth interviewed in at least one domain area. The most commonly seen
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developments were social and vocational. Youth developed a positive view of their
musical skills and performances through participation in the Program. Music, in being
considered a fine art, has generally been researched as its own field. This case study
showed that music, like many art forms and sports, can encourage development in youth
that stretches at least three of the four suggested domains of competences. Hallam &
Creech (2011) provided similar results during their study and even provided data that
supported youth developing academic competences in math and literacy. The following
section discusses the ramifications of the findings found in this study.
Development of social competencies among the youth is shown through the
development of a positive view of their communication skills and connections made
amongst peers, teachers, families and teachers. Development of cognitive competencies
was observed amongst the youth above age fourteen. It is interesting to note that the
influence of positive relationships between youth and leaders tended to accelerate the
youth’s cognitive development. Youth’s strong ties with staff members appeared to help
them develop positive views about their own cognitive abilities, specifically the ability to
reflect and think critically. These findings indicate that social conditions such as the
relationship with a teacher can greatly influence a person’s cognitive development,
thereby corroborating Vygosky’s (1978) theory regarding the social impact on cognitive
development.
For youth who used Fusion as a drop-in centre, a major barrier to development
across all four competencies seemed to be internal motivation (Illeris et al., 2007). This
finding is puzzling, as the Music Program is engaging and youth driven. Inconsistent
motivation was observed and reported due to the perceived commitment it takes to learn
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musical skills and a clash of personalities between Program leaders and certain youth.
Having two Program leaders at Fusion’s Music Program decreased the number of
personality clashes between the leaders and the youth by allowing youth to choose a
leader. Participants, who perceived a conflict with a leader, avoided that leader by
simply not attending when that person was working. No communication structures are in
place to mediate any conflict between the leaders and the youth. The members of Fusion
tend to avoid the leaders they dislike, never resolving the conflicts present.
Finding solutions to the perceived time, work ethic and commitment it takes to
master a musical instrument is difficult. It was suggested by a previous leader that if
youth paid for lessons, commitment might be higher given a financial incentive to
participate. It is my contention that the causes of a lack of commitment are multifactorial. Dysfunctional home life, lack of interest in music, structured music lessons with
no possibility of informal lessons, and lack of available instrumental or voice practice
time and space could result in a lack of motivation to attend the Program (Illeris, 2007;
Lerner et al., 2005; Bolden et al., 2013). Therefore, finding more time for informal
lessons and open group playing may result in higher and more consistent participation
from youth.
The results from Fusion’s Music Program indicate that the conception of musical
competencies could be improved by interdisciplinary research, which could include
social sciences as Karlson (2009) suggests, or psychology, mathematics, engineering,
music, and education. Varied forms of thinking may enable researchers to better interpret
results that seem confounding and find mechanisms for the development of competency
within youth due to participation in music programs.
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2) Confidence: An internal sense of overall positive self-worth and self-efficacy;
one’s global self-regard, as opposed to domain-specific beliefs (Lerner et al. 2005), grew
in the youth as result of participation in the Music Program at Fusion. Higher confidence
was largely a result of encouragement and compliments from peers and leaders regarding
the youth’s musical performance and composition. In addition, a general sense of
belonging to the Music Program enabled the youth to establish a sense that their musical
and social actions impacted their immediate community, thereby furthering their sense of
self worth thereby boosting the confidence of the youth by providing them with
meaningful activities.
The link between pride in specific actions and the youths’ global self-confidence
remained illusive. Social atmosphere may play a role as a conduit to self-confidence. As
youth expressed that the compliments they received from peers and experts, a positive
social atmosphere was therefore present at Fusion. In addition Safe explorations of self
through music lead to self-discovery at Fusion’s Music program. A positive social
atmosphere in conjunction with a self-discovery most likely plays a large role bridging
the gap between youths’ positive views of their actions in specific domains to and their
global self-confidence. A positive social scene enables youth to garner encouragement
that may translate to a global self-confidence as it enables youth to build the courage
needed to explore their identities (Erikson, 1967; Sansom, 2007). In addition, exploration
and expression increase an individual’s sense of self, thereby building a youth’s
emotional intelligence through a youth’s discovery of both their flaws and strengths.
Coming to a positive outlook on strengths and flaws may enable youth to build the
confidence necessary for them to act and make decisions independently (Erikson, 1967,
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Benson, 2002).
3) Connection: Positive bonds with people and institutions that are reflected in
bi-directional exchanges between the individual and peers, family, school, and
community in which both parties contribute to the relationship were found between the
youth that participated in Fusion’s Music Program (Lerner et al., 2005). Youth developed
positive bi-directional bonds between friends, teachers/leaders, and Fusion Music
Program Community.
Bonds were developed in a compound fashion. Youth developed bonds first with
the program leader, who acted first as a music teacher and then as a role model, advisor,
mentor and friend. Then youth tended to build stronger bonds with their peers. As youth
built strong bonds with other members of Fusion’s Music Program, they began to build a
connection with the program itself (building a second home at the studio). The space
provided by Fusion’s Music Program served as a meeting place for socialization and a
common interest in music provided a starting point for most of the bonds created.
Interesting questions emerged from the form of bond creation within Fusion’s Music
Program including:
•
Which bonds are priorities for the members of the program? How do such
bonds affect the staff members?
•
And, which bonds are vital for the sustainability of the Program?
The stability and the strength of the connection are of importance because
development in youth is improved if youth create stronger and more stable relationships.
For example, the youth who developed strong connections with the leaders tended to
show development across all six ‘C’ categories and Creativity. In addition, these youth
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sustained and developed deep relationships with their peers and their other communities.
The advantages of a strong connection were observed in the relationship between Mitch
and Randy. When Randy took the role of a counsellor, advisor or mentor Mitch improved
in his development. Mitch built new connections easier and in a stable and storing nature.
He also showed development across other categories that were not shown by other
participants without a strong connation with a leader. Moving past the normal teacherstudent relationship, to a connection based on mutual trust, learning and loyalty therefore
can help youth develop across all the ‘C’s. These findings corroborate the research
conducted by Hallem et al. (2010).
At Fusion, music serves as a conduit in building relations. Firstly, as stated
before, music is a common interest between the youth and enables members to find easy
conversation points. Secondly, in a unique way, the music studio also provides youth
with a structured form of conversation. The studio provides a structured form of
communication through tools such as YouTube and iTunes. Youth use these tools to
explore their taste in music in groups by playing, listening and talking about their
favourite music. With a chaperone present, youth feel safe to communicate with others
while exploring new ways to make friends through music preference. Finally, music is a
conduit for communication through self and empathic expression (Heble et al., 2013).
Youth learn to communicate and express themselves at Fusion through improvising
music in a group, musical style, and composition. This deep form of communication
strengthens the bonds between the youth. Practicing these forms of communication
enable youth to build stronger relationships in the future (Lerner et al., 2005, Benson et
al., 2007).
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4) Character: Respect for societal and cultural rules, possession of standards for
correct behaviour, a sense of right and wrong (morality), and integrity was found to
develop in only a small number the youth in the Fusion music Program (Learner et al.,
2005). Of the few instances of the development within the category of character,
evidence of development manifested in work ethic in musical practice, respect for rules
and the studio equipment, a high moral fibre observed by revulsion of racist comments,
self-advocacy about state of the music program, and leadership.
As discussed in Park (2004), character strengths in youth add to youth
development. The findings of the case study of Fusion’s Music Program corroborate the
works of Park (2004) and Lerner et al. (2005) in the following ways. The high work ethic
that was shown by the students reflected a sense of respect for the rules of music and the
program, which could lead to a broader morality regarding a respect for the law. The
revulsion to racist comments portrayed by the participants points to the youth developing
a moral centre, as the revulsion to such abuse is often a result of a person valuing humans
of different race as equals and not subjugates or inferior to that of their own. The
advocacy shown by the youth is a product of a person supporting their beliefs; an
essential quality of a person with integrity. The leadership attributed to the youth at
Fusion’s Music program also indicates the development of integrity by the student taking
a role, which requires honesty and dedication to finishing a task.
Fewer instances of development within this category of development may be
explained by the following reasons. Maturity of the participant may have been an issue.
Some of the participants may have needed more life experiences for emergence of welldeveloped character. Manifestation of moral fibre occurs through dealing with adversity.
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Creating adverse situations within Fusion’s Music Program is ethically ambiguous. Many
of the members are underprivileged and therefore presumably experience adversity
elsewhere. Many youth at the Music Program are in survival mode at home and use
Fusion’s Music Program as a place to have fun and dream. Adversity could come in the
form of competition; crafted with in the confines of a music contest, however it would be
important not to lose the collaborative and supportive nature of the Music Program at
Fusion that fosters development in other categories (Kahn, 2014; Cross, 2012). It has
been argued by Heble et al. (2013) that the civil rights movement and improvisational
jazz are linked through an expression of adversity and hardship. Therefore an increase in
expressive improvisation or composition could bring about character development.
Further research is needed to discover the role of music on youth development in asset
category of character.
5) Caring: A sense of sympathy and empathy for others (Lerner et al., 2005), was
only found in three to four members of the study. And those who showed development in
assets related to caring often only developed in one facet. The expansion of caring
beyond empathy and sympathy was necessary to observe development. Attributes related
to love, grief (attachment) and remembrance were added to the conception of caring as
indicators in order to provide a more complete definition. However the addition of the
attributes remains undeveloped and additional research is needed to verify their presence
within the caring framework. Lerner et al. (2005) stated that the conception of caring was
refined throughout the study. Positive youth development, participation in community
youth development programs, and community contributions of fifth Grade adolescents:
Findings from the first wave of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, however
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it remained unclear what modifications were made. Therefore a re-examination of its
inclusion in the developmental framework may be necessary. The following questions
need to asked in or to further the conception of caring in the context of this research: can
caring develop? Is caring an emergent trait in an individual?
Empathic communication through musical improvisation is a promising form of
practice to further development in the caring category. The case study at Fusion
corroborates the opinions and arguments regarding the outcomes of improvisation as a
form of empathy (Burns, 2001; Heble et al., 2013). In summary the argument states that
communication in improvisational music can be an empathic process when musicians
learn to adapt their personal expression to those of the others in the group in order to
create music. This is especially the case with Jazz as Jazz is a both a communicative and
improvisational form (Heble 2000).
6) Contribution: Accounts for youth’s responsibility to their own communities
(Lerner et al., 2005; Benson et al., 2006). Contribution, which is measured by a person’s
influence, aid and involvement in their communities (Lerner et al., 2005), was low
amongst the youth at Fusion’s Music Program. Other than involvement in the Ingersoll
community through performance at local establishments, there were no other forms of
contribution that went beyond Fusion’s community. With regards to youth contributing to
their local community (Fusion Music Program or Fusion Centre): youth influenced
Fusions music program by teaching peers, socializing, advocating for better
programming, and aided their community by assisting with operating the Haunted house
held by Fusion every year.
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The reasons for low contribution probably lie within the context of rural
communities and the practice music. Music is a discipline requiring thousands of hours to
master (Gladwell, 2008). Becoming a music student therefore restricts a person time
away from their discipline resulting in less contribution to a community. Mandatory
school and other extra curricular activities (i.e. organized sports) further restrict time for
youth to be involved in their community (Gladwell, 2008; Robinson, 2011). As Ingersoll
is located in a rural area, transportation was reported to be an issue verifying Lerner et al.
(2005) presumptions regarding youth’s lack of mobility as reasons for youth’s lack of
contribution as arranging alternate forms of transport remains difficult for youth. The
scope of contribution to a person’s community is different for youth than those of adults.
Youth do not have a vote, which restricts their political influence, political motivation
and political will
(Shucksmith, 2004; Gore, 2006). The culture of schools and after-school programs are
different than the workplace. The motivation and structure of the communities are
different creating a divide between youth and adult communities (Shucksmith et al.,
2004). Youth communities are often based upon their school, after-school programs,
friends and family. These communities are still largely dependent on adults for survival;
therefore youth have little short-term motivation to contribute as they have little influence
over the adult community and in some cases their peers. Given the contextual realities of
rural youth the relevance to the measurement of contribution in current state may be
inaccurate.
For Fusion’s Music Program, it is a passion for music and art that drives youth to
find ways to contribute. Discovering ways for youth to contribute through music may be
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key to helping youth develop into contributing citizens. Promoting and managing music
festivals, concerts or bands were achieved during Bobbie’s tenure as the leader of
Fusion’s Music Program. Learning from his mistakes as an organizer would help promote
a positive music scene in Ingersoll. A festival format may be more acceptable to Fusion
and Ingersoll as a municipality as it would enable the institutions to separate themselves
from festival management through sponsorship. As sponsors they no longer take on the
responsibility of the festivals problems that emerge from rock music culture (i.e. a
seemingly disrespect for authority, illicit drug use, and rowdy behaviour). However these
issues must be acknowledged, monitored and restricted carefully in order to ensure
development of the youth is not stunted in other areas. In addition, festivals are less
frequent which incurs less risk on the organizers. A festival format could supply youth at
Fusion’s Music Program an opportunity for performance (Karlson, 2013).
Creativity: An Argument for its inclusion Into 5/6 C model
Creativity: the ‘making’ of something that is new and of value was found to
progress in some youth as result of their time at Fusion (Hennessey & Amabile, 2010).
The creative actions of the youth remained within the discipline of music. Through
musical innovation, expression and aesthetic invention/sensibility youth at Fusion’s
Music Program developed their creativity (Hennessey & Amabile, 2010; Greene, 2008;
Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi 2000). The following section will discuss the role that
practicing creativity enhances assets has in the development of youth at fusion’s Music
Program. Creativity aids in the development throughout all the “C” categories and
advances assets in teenagers not encapsulated in the six “C” models. The following
discussions provide evidence for creativity’s inclusion as a “C” in the positive youth
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development Five “C” model.
Enhancing 6 ‘C’ development through practice of creative processes
The case study of the Fusion’s Music Program provides evidence that creative
practices advance youths’ development of competence, confidence, connection, character
and caring. The findings of this thesis illustrate that the inclusion of creativity into the six
‘C’ model is important because crafting novel and valuable products aids the
development of assets within each of the ‘C’ s.
Creative actions provide catalyst for the development of competence in youth.
Musical creativity was observed to develop an intrinsic motivation in the youth. The
skills necessary for proficiency in composition and performance in music are vast. Thus,
an intrinsic motivation is developed, as the youth must learn skills in order to improve
their creativity. The above process develops competence in youth as a result. Intrinsic
motivation is a barrier to both creativity and learning (Jeffery, 2006; Illeris, 2007).
Creative actions in music were observed at Fusion’s music program, overcame a lack of
intrinsic motivation. In order for the youth at Fusion’s Music Program to craft new
sounds, songs, styles required them to engage in divergent and critical thinking. By
practicing these cognitive and musical skills the youth participated in unconventional
music creation thus improving their competence in vocational and cognitive domains.
Through the exploration of personal expression, the youth at Fusion acquired
knowledge of their self and identity aiding to the teenagers’ confidence (Illeris, 2007;
Erikson, 1967; Sawyer et al., 2003) Creative action provides a mechanism that moves
youth from being proud of an accomplishment in single domain to that of a global sense
of self-regard. Expression, experimentation and exploration are all essential processes of
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creativity (Robinson, 2011; Hennessey & Amabile, 2010). Additionally, in order to
proficiently express one’s self; an understanding of your personal identity is critical. It
was found in the youth and staff members at Fusion’s Music Program that as a person
explores their music style and expression a greater knowledge of self emerges thereby
building the youths’ confidence. The youth’s confidence ultimately creates a positive
feedback loop. Their confidence enables them to engage in new music exploration and
composition furthering their self-awareness. A similar process was studied in prisoners
participating in the ‘Good Vibrations’ projects (Henley, Caulfield, Wilson, & Wilkinson,
2012; Henley, 2015). The positive impact of creative musical actions of persons
manifests as a boost in confidence (Henley et al., 2012; Henley, 2015). As creativity can
aid in the development of confidence in youth the creativities inclusion in the six ‘C’ is
important.
Connection through co-operative creation improved the youth’s ability to connect,
as group performance requires communication to create music that is aesthetically
pleasing (Heble, 2000; Burns, 2001; Henley et al., 2012; Heble et al., 2013). Youth at
Fusions Music program reported an improvement in their social skills was needed to
build connections and friends. The youth partly attributed their development of social
skills to creative endeavours in co-operative manner. Co-operative creative actions can
boost a person’s development of their assets within the category of connection as
researched in Henley et al. (2012), discussed in Heble (2000), reiterated in Heble et al.
(2013) and examined in this thesis. Given, that the creative actions can aid in the
development of connection the inclusion of creativity in the Six ‘C’ is vital.
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As creativity is a risky action and is often associated with learning discipline, it
builds a person’s character. By taking risks, the youth built courage as their musical
creations were rewarded. Creative art forms such as dance, music, and fine art build
character, as they require discipline to acquire proficiency (Gladwell, 2008). At Fusion’s
Music Program the youth who dedicated time and effort to their craft developed a sense
of respect for the rules of music and those of the program. Even though creativity and
respect for rules are seen as contradictory, through music the youth developed an
understanding of the reason for rules but also where breaking convention can often lead
to a valued result. Heble et al. (2013) discusses this contradiction in more detail in his
book ‘The Fierce Urgency of Now: Improvisation, Rights, and the Ethics of Co-creation’.
This discourse describes how the performance of improvisation in a group aids in the
development of civil rights advocacy through the emotion, empathy and communication
that emerges through the improvisational form. Given the findings of this thesis and the
discussions of Ajay Heble and Malcolm Gladwell, creative actions may therefore help
youth in the development of their character.
Empathic forms of expression performed during group improvisation provided the
youth at Fusion with the unique opportunity to create and practice caring in the same
moment. Practicing empathy in this form enabled the youth to develop an essential asset
to caring while creating something novel. As Heble (2000; Heble et al. 2013) suggests
further exploration of this phenomenon will be needed to elicit the nature of the impact
empathetic expression could have on youth in rural areas. Creativity was shown to aid
youth in their ability to contribute through involvement in music. Art, sport, dance,
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drama, science and business could provide similar avenues for youth involvement in the
greater community.
Creativity Developing Assets out-side those in the Five ‘C’ model
The assets: originality, aesthetic sensibility and future mindedness are currently not
included in the current Five ‘C’ model in positive development theory (Seligman &
Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Lerner et al., 2005; Benson et al., 2007). As shown by the youth
members at Fusion’s Music Program, creativity encompasses the above-mentioned
assets. The youth developed their originality through innovation in the musical field. The
crafting of novel sounds and unique songs fuelled curiosity of the program leaders and
other members of Fusion’s Music Program, thereby encouraging the youth to develop
their originality further. The youth at Fusion grew an aesthetic sensibility through
exploration of their musical style and expression. An artistic awareness emerged in the
youth as they penetrated the depths of their “souls” through expressing strong emotions
such as love. The youth also increased their appreciation of many musical genres as they
shaped their own musical style.
Imaginative processes performed by the youth while in the midst of creating new
musical rhythms or melodies enabled them to develop future mindedness. By practicing
imagination some of the youth began to examine the future as a set of possibilities, this
was especially the case when the youth compose and improvise. Imagination may be an
essential part of foresight as it allows us to craft creative possible futures (Greene, 2000;
Robinson, 2011; Sawyer et al. 2003). Given that the case study at Fusion Music Program
found that creativity incorporates, originality, aesthetic sensibility and future mindedness,
inclusion of creativity in the Five ‘C’ Model is important.
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Music and Arts Based Programs Impact on Rural Youth
A Music program encouraging Identity exploration and Meaningful Livelihoods
The Music program at Fusion provided youth with a space conducive to identity
exploration and activities the members found to be meaningful. By building a home at
Fusion’s Music Program the youth member lived a meaningful existence while
participating in musical and social activities. This case study showed that through
participation in musical and social activity youth build a collective identity. Finally
through the exploration of their personal musical and social identities youth at Fusion’s
Music Program begin to find their place in the world.
Music programs comparable to that of Fusion’s can be advantageous to rural
youth as they provide an opportunity for meaningful experiences. The findings outlined
in this thesis, substantiated research performed by Susan Hallam (2010) and Karlson
(2013). Hallam (2010) and Karlson (2013) found that the youths’ positive mindset while
engaged in music making processes enables youth to improve their development in the
domains of creativity, social skills, self-discipline, self-confidence, teamwork and
emotional sensitivity. As discussed in Hallam (2010) to achieve the above developments
students must be in state of enjoyment while working on music making processes. The
study found that all the members of the study enjoyed participating in musical activities
at Fusion, and thought their time at Fusion Music program was meaningful to them
Corroborating research of community arts based programs performed by Lowe
(2000), the case study Fusion’s music program showed that its members had begun to
build a collective identity. The studio had become a second home for many of the youth
at Fusion. For the youth, participation in a community livelihood is important. Their
participation in Fusion’s Music Program provided the youth with meaningful activities,
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friends, and a support network. For many of the youth music became central part of their
daily lives. By spending much of their free time at the studio the youth built connections
that altered their lives in positive manner. The friends and mentors they made often acted
in a supportive role for the youth. Some times the youth would provide support for their
friends and mentors. The support group within Fusion’s Music Program often acted as
family. The youth began to build a collective identity. A sense of belonging to the
Fusion’s Music Program emerged. A collective identity at Fusion’s music program
provides the youth with not only a safe refuge from the challenges they face in daily lives
but a place of belonging; a space for the exploration of their personal identity through
music.
It was found in the case study of Fusion’s Music Program that youth explore their
personal identity exploration through a multitude of processes while participating in
activities at a rural music program. Youth at Fusion’s Music program explored their
musical identities by discovering who they are as musicians, investigating their taste in
music, building upon their personal musical styles in the areas of composition and
performance, and penetrating the depths of their emotions through expression. The
assessments of the youth during performances advanced the youths’ sense of self. The
case study provided further confirmation of the progression of a persons identity
attributed to music making processes previously studied by Sansom (2007). The case
study of Fusion’s Music Program provided evidence that Music and Arts programs can
provide youth with an opportunity to explore one’s self as a member of a Music Program,
as a participant of an after school program, and as a person. Therefore, the youth in the
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Music Program, through personal exploration in the field of music began to resolve the
identity crisis first described by Erikson (1967).
Relationships and the Role of Social Atmosphere Music Based Programs
The relationships youth construct in arts and music programs can have a large
impact on youth in terms of their development (Creech & Hallam, 2011; Hallam 2010).
The narratives in the case study of Fusion’s Music Program illustrate that the social
environment was also very positive both among the youth and their leaders, corroborating
the research of Creech & Hallam (2011) where it was found that a positive relationship
between teacher and student to facilitate a students’ development. At Fusion the above
pattern was especially the case with the relationship between John and Harry. The
mentorship with Harry provided John with the guidance and structure he needed to
improve in all areas of development stated above. In contrast, the youth without a
relationship of mentorship in place failed to develop. Additionally, the leaders at Fusion’s
Music Program are considered to be experts in their field by the youth. The legitimacy of
the leaders boosted confidence of the youth participants through the positive comments
received from someone they respect (Lowe, 2000). In addition, as mentor the leaders
provide guidance to the youth. A positive relationship with a mentor enables youth to
progress in learning as the trust between the mentor and student lessens the resistance to
accepting the information presented by the mentor as valid (Creech & Hallam, 2011;
Illeris, 2008). Lowe (2001) discovered similar findings in his study, and presented his
findings in a paper named, “The Art of Community Transformation”. The evidence
concerning the importance of building positive connections with the members of arts
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based programming is become extensive (Creech & Hallam, 2011; Hallam, 2010; Lowe,
2001; Lowe, 2000; Bolden et al., 2013).
Music Based Programming: An Opportunity for Flow Experiences
Fusion’s Music Program offered youth an opportunity to engage in flow. The
mental states of optimum awareness as described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
(1991/2008) as flow states were self reported by the youth while playing, composing and
listening to music varied in description. Flow states are characterized by an unusually
high focus accompanied by a peeked awareness of a person’s surroundings
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1991/2008). Flow states have been thoroughly studied in athletes in
the 1990’s, however the appearance of flow states in musicians and composers has
remained illusive until recently (Bernard 2009, Diaz, 2013; Wrigley & Emmerson, 2013).
The following paragraphs discuss the ramifications of the findings of the case study of
the Fusion Music program with regards to the corroboration of current studies of flow
states emerging in people undergoing flow states during musical activities and possible
additional indicators of flow in people activated in music action.
The findings corroborate the studies by Bernard (2009) who described how flow
states emerge during composition; Diaz (2013) who monitored flow states while young
people listened to music; and Wrigley & Emmerson (2013) who studied students flow
states while performing. As in Wrigley & Emmerson (2013) study barriers to flow states
were present. Youth reported being nervous during performance indicating that youth are
concerned with their performance quality. The concentration on external expectations by
the performers may be preventing flow states to emerge. The case study also found that
youth had trouble matching their challenge with their skill level so that flow could
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materialize. This result was similar to those of Diaz (2013) and Csikszentmihalyi
(1991/2008).
Important additions to current literature on flow are the new narratives of feeling
while in a state of flow. Feelings of power and freedom accompanied by a flow of
emotions and awareness offers researchers new avenues to test the impact of flow states
in musicians. Even though the emergence of flow states in youth at Fusion’s Music
Program remained variable, music programming could offer youth the opportunity to
engage in optimum mental states if the teachers can meet the following conditions: match
the skill level of student to challenges of the musical and create a positive social
atmosphere.
Challenges for After-School Programs in Rural Areas
The challenges associated with Fusion’s Music Program arise from the structure
of after-school programs. Fusion’s Music Program experienced challenges discussed in
Lerner’s (2002) review of after-school programs. Low pay, a lack of career advancement
opportunities, dysfunctional workplace conditions and long hours were reported by the
staff members at Fusion’s Music Program and in Lerner’s (2002) review. As a result,
Fusion Youth Centre’s management has had difficulty stabilizing the Music Program
Leader position. Attendance for the program is waning as youth have found it difficult to
adapt to the new leaders curriculum and style. In addition, youth develop loyalty toward
the program leaders and will sometimes leave with the leaders. This structural issue could
stunt the youth’s development if instability in the leadership position remains as the
youth who established relationships with staff members showed positive development.
Solving or managing the structural issues may prove difficult given funding remains a
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consistent issue amongst many afterschool programs within North America (Lerner
2002).
The case study of Fusion’s Music Program also illuminated challenges for staff
members of after-school programs. As in Khan’s (2014) master’s thesis the program
leaders had difficulty managing the drop-in nature of Fusion Youth Centre. In order to
manage the inconsistencies attributed to youth using Fusion on a drop-in basis, the staff
became reluctant to offer the full array of programming options unless the youth showed
a commitment to music lessons or recording time, creating a rift between the youth and
the leaders. Further research will be needed to provide the leaders with insight to build
structures within the Music Program to accommodate the youth who use Fusion on a
drop-in basis. Additionally, the current staff members of Fusion’s Music Program faced
challenges with regards to teaching, specifically with evaluation of student’s skill level,
interests and individualized curriculum needs. Professional development may assist the
leaders in meeting the learning needs of their students better. Solving the challenges of
that face after-school programs will aid in the promotion of lifelong learning (Lauzon,
2013; Christie, 2013)
Fusion’s Music Program informs current literature on learning of youths in
rural areas
This case study of Fusion’s Music Program informs current learning theory in
multiple ways. As mentioned in Illeris (2007), creating a program that is flexible to
youths learning needs and desires is challenging. Fusion Music Program for the most part
sought a balance between highly structured and informal learning experience. This
enabled youth to transfer from a teacher-directed learning style to a student-driven
curriculum as the instructors at the program accommodated the student’s requests with
158
both the structured and informal programming. The findings of the case study indicate
that adaptive and relevant programming can encourage learning as youth begin to take
ownership of their studies in music, thereby overcoming the challenges presented to
educators of youth (Robinson, 2011, Lauzon, 2013).
Youth’s relationships with mentors were found to be important throughout the
case study of Fusion’s Music Program. From a learning perspective, a positive
relationship with the leaders improved the youths’ behaviour and motivation. These
findings correspond with the theories produced by Illeris (2003a, 2003b, 2007) and
studies by Hallam & Creech (2011). However, in practice, teachers often overlook the
relationship between the students and mentors. Teachers may also have difficulty
developing a relationship based on loyalty, professionalism, and mutual respect. The
result is a lack of respect and trust between the teacher and students. Classroom
management issues therefore ensue (Robinson, 2011; Illeris, 2007, 2003b). Fusion’s
Music Program shows that relationship building between teacher and student will remain
an essential aspect to learning.
The challenges the leaders with the inconsistent youth attendance and
commitment indicates that learning is driven by the youths’ upbringing, social
environment, and emotions, as experience can greatly effect youth’s motivation to learn
(Illeris, 2007, 2003b). Adapting to the individual contexts of the youth was challenging
for leaders with the time and programming restrictions of the program. Adding contextual
factors of learning into current learning may assist researchers and practitioners in
developing solutions so that teachers and instructors can encourage learning instead of
restricting it further.
159
As Robinson (2011) argues creativity in education may be the key to building
engaging and relevant programming for youth. It was shown that Fusion’s Music
Program offers youth the opportunity to craft new and exciting music through exploration
and experimentation. The tools used by the leaders at Fusion offer other practitioners
insight into how to employ creativity in other learning environments. For example,
encouraging students to compose music and improvise would provide youth with new
avenues to study (Bolden et al., 2013). The use of creative musical activities to advance
the development of youth, offers researchers avenues for inquiry that could improve the
education and livelihood of teenagers in rural areas.
Conclusion
The case study of Fusion’s Music Program offered insight into the role that after
school music programs play in the lives of the youth of South Western rural Ontario. The
case study of Fusion’s Music Program identified that participation in Fusion’s Music
Program does indeed foster competence, confidence, connection, character, caring and
creativity in the youth. The state of the relationship with the leaders and the maturity of
the youth had an impact on the degree of the development each youth showed. The study
found that Fusion’s music program built both the youth’s personal sense of identity and
meaning in their lives through creative and social processes associated with music. The
youth at Fusion’s Music Program began to identify themselves as competent musicians
and found meaning in the musical activities they performed in a place they began to
consider a second home, the Music Program. Through observation and self-report the
youths ‘flow’ experiences were explored. The case study corroborated the barriers to
160
attaining a state flow as well as identified new manifestations of optimum awareness as
feeling of power and freedom.
The current pedagogical approaches, used by the current and past co-ordinators of
the Fusion youth music program and the participants where shown to be aiding the
development of the youth and staff members. However, the challenges of the staff are
substantial. Finding ways to manage these challenges will be essential to the
sustainability of the music program at Fusion as the development and attendance of the
youth is dependent on the leaders ability to build trust between the youth and themselves.
The tools and learning structures the instructors used enabled youth to develop into
competent musicians and with the social acumen that may enable them thrive in the
future. The importance of the leaders building a relationship with youth highlights a key
finding of the case study; that building trust with the youth is essential to youth becoming
proficient learners aiding the youth in managing the other contextual factors with regards
to their learning. The interaction between the social, physical, educational and
psychological parts of the rural community of Ingersoll created a unique music program
that offers meaning and development to youth.
Recommendations for Further Research
The Six C’s Framework
Further research is needed to explore and examine the resultant development of
youth’s assets within all the categories. Within the developmental category of
competence this research did not test academic performance of the youth. The restricted
scope of the research methods prevented an accurate way measuring the youths’ attitude
towards their performance at school as self-report was deemed an inappropriate form of
161
measurement. However, through observations and self-report, multiple youth showed
improvement in music theory, music history, and instrumental technique. It has been
shown by other studies such as Hallam (2010) that positive academic performance in
music could help with arithmetic, history, and English. Therefore, it is assumed that the
higher developed youth in the program developed academic competence. Nevertheless,
further research on the correlation between Fusion’s programming and academic
performance is needed to find out if participation in the Music Program is linked with
academic competence.
The scope of the research prevented more inquiry into the gap between pride in
person’s actions in a single domain and an individual’s global self-confidence. In
particular, the mechanism that leads a person to develop confidence after a positive
experience in the creation and performance of music remained illusive. Self-reflection
and increased self-awareness seemed to provide a catalyst for this process; however, this
pattern remained confused. Therefore, further research is needed to bring to light the
mechanisms that bridge the gap between the development of confidence within a single
domain, such as musical performance and advancing of global confidence within youth.
Further research is needed to explore the relationship of the advancement of social
skills acquired during musical performance and the youth’s development within the
category of connection. Even though a common interest in music and a positive social
atmosphere was attributed to their development by both the youth and the leaders, the
observed social skills practiced by the youth during ‘Jamming’ may have aided the youth
in making of friends during their time at Fusion’s music program. The exploration of the
social atmosphere during co-operative musical performance could advance our
162
understanding of the mechanisms that assist in the development of connection within
youth.
The lack of development of character within the youth at Fusion’s Music Program
is puzzling. A program culture that values respect and discipline should aid in the youth’s
development of their character. Given that youth who exhibited assets within character
were those who had previously developed assets within the categories of competence,
confidence and connection, it may be that development of the above three “C’s” is
needed for youth to develop their character. The lack of development may also indicate
that the development of character may not occur frequently within youth’s between the
ages of 12-18. Further research is needed to discern the reasons for the low levels of
development.
An incomplete conception of the caring reflected the research within this thesis.
Expanding caring conception beyond acts and feelings of empathy may provide
researchers with new avenues of research. As discussed in this thesis concepts related to
caring such as remembrance, love and grief can provide indicators for the development of
caring. However, these indicators of caring remain untested. Further research is
necessary to validate the indicators.
Development within the category of contribution was low as well. Barriers such
as transportation and lack of training were given as reasons for the lack of contribution.
As discussed above the contextual realities of rural youth and their perception of their
communities may largely determine youth’s ability to contribute. Re-examining the
definition of youth contribution to stress contributions within school, family and
extracurricular programs such as after-school programs may provide researchers with a
163
more accurate measure. More research is needed to in order to adjust the of youth’s
contribution measure to the scope of their reality.
Meaning and Identity
Although, the concepts of meaning and identity were explored in depth within this
case study the mechanism’s that lead youth to attribute meaning to their daily activities
remained illusive. Further research is therefore needed to examine mechanisms that result
in youth in rural areas finding meaning through activities at a music program. Youths’
mental states of enjoyment could enable them to create meaningful experiences, which in
turn, builds the requirements necessary that facilitate a youth’s learning (Creech &
Hallam, 2011). Therefore, examining activities that youth enjoy may provide direction to
this inquiry.
Music and after school programs
This thesis pointed to many research opportunities that lie within the context of
music and after-school programs. The findings provide evidence that developmental
impacts do occur among youth who participate. Even though the long-term impact of
music programs similar to Fusion’s remained illusive the findings indicate that youth can
begin to thrive when consistent participation in an array of programming offered is
achieved by the youth.
Music programs within after-school programs pose specific challenges to the
program coordinators and leaders. Managing these challenges will be of importance to
ensure sustainability of the music programs similar to Fusion’s. Therefore, research is
needed to find strategies for both administrators and youth work practitioners to
implement that will abate the impact of the challenges the practitioners face on a daily
164
basis.
Music programs similar to Fusion’s provide youth with an opportunity to have
flow states as the unique learning structure provides youth with ability to match the
challenges presented to them with their skill level. The flow of emotion the youth felt
while playing is meaningful. The described power and freedom felt during musical
performance provides researchers with new indicators of flow if verified by more
rigorous research. In addition the release these feelings provides researchers, within the
field of musical therapy, with mechanisms to study that provide could patients with relief
of suffering.
The findings showed that music programs provide youth with ability to engage in
creative actions. The impact of creative processes on cognitive and social development
of youth was apparent. Further research is needed to verify the observations of the
researcher and the reports of the youth on the effect music on youths’ cognitive and
social advancement, specifically the development of critical thinking, reflective thought
and the ability to connect with other youth. The performance improvisational music
showed particular promise in this area but due to time restraints was only explored
briefly. The opportunity to perform improvisational music is a rarity among rural youth.
Rural music program’s like Fusion’s provide researchers with opportunity to delve into
impacts of improvisational music on youth. Research questions to be considered in the
future could include:
•
Can improvisational music further development while bypassing cognitive
development of speech?
165
•
What the impact of empathic communication through music for people
with autism and non-verbal learning disabilities?
•
Is it possible to start to observe the impact of music programs on children
in early life stages (i.e. ages 5 - 12)?
•
Can improvisation bypass instrumental skill development with a focus on
rhythm and homemade instrumentals?
Recommendations for Fusion’s Music Program
Given the findings described and discussed the following four recommendations
are intended to improve the Fusion’s music program.
1) Professional development options should be made available to the leaders of the
program. The options should stress instruction and teaching methods, specifically in
evaluation of youth’s technical ability and strategies that engagement of youth with low
motivation. This recommendation is made for two major reasons: To improve the quality
of instruction given to the youth and to mitigate the leaders challenges with regards to
teaching.
2) The schedule of the programming activities should be modified to include more Open
Jam and group playing options. This can take the multiple forms. Musical group
recording sessions that stress improvisation and composition could aid this transition.
Given that the capacity for tracks to be recorded in-group play is needed it is suggested
that full days be booked for the activity to aid in the logistics. Leader directed
improvisation is also recommended, as this will aid the youth in learning to play in a
166
group setting. This recommendation is made as the youth asked for more Open Jam
during focus group
3) The youth need the time and space for musical practice. If possible the optimal
solution is the addition of 2 Insulated 6’-8’ practice rooms. The recommendation will
ease program-planning difficulties for the leaders. The leaders suggested this solution
during the beginning phases of observational period.
4) The high turn over rate of the leaders at the program has created instability within the
music program in terms of the number and duration of participation by the youth. An
overseer in the role of a program director may stabilize the fluctuation in a number of
ways. The high leader turnover rate has resulted in lack of consistency in programming
options and structure, which is confusing for the youth. A program director could create a
consistent schedule that is not dependent on the leader preferences thereby solving this
issue. The director also provides a consistent person that can build relationships with the
youth. Hiring someone established in the music industry that interested in teaching and
youth may secure a longer working period as well. Hiring mature youth by
recommendation of Fusion Music staff member to instruct the younger members may aid
the program as well.
167
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